We humans, are explorers. Not all of us. But some. As such, all throughout history, people have braved new frontiers. Different lands. Unknown places.
Here, where I live, the history of the American frontier if filled with amazing stories. Most of these stories involve men. Explorers, hunters, soldiers, trappers, and trailblazers.
But women also played an essential role in shaping life in the American West.
They worked as diplomats, guides, scouts, innkeepers, missionaries, settlers, and more. And they certainly endured extreme hardship while forging the way.
Here are a few of those remarkable women.
Jemima Boone. Daughter of Daniel Boone, she became famous after surviving a kidnapping by Cherokee and Shawnee raiders in 1776 and helping leave clues that led to her rescue. No relation to the syrup.
Sacagawea. A Shoshone woman who served as a guide, translator, and cultural ambassador for the Lewis and Clark Expedition during its journey across the American West. I love to say her name.
Mary Donoho. A pioneer businesswoman who helped establish and operate La Fonda in Santa Fe, one of the oldest inns in the American Southwest. There is a Mary Donoho mausoleum grave at Mound Hill that creeps me out.
Narcissa Whitman. One of the first white women to cross the Rocky Mountains, she documented frontier missionary life before being killed during the Whitman Massacre of 1847. I wonder if they named it for her.
But finally, one that stood out to me was “Mad” Anne Bailey. They say that she was one of the most remarkable women of the American frontier.
She became famous as a scout, messenger, rider, and defender of frontier settlements during and after the American Revolution.
Anne was born Anne Hennis around 1742 in Liverpool. After her parents died, she immigrated to Virginia in the early 1760s, likely as an indentured servant. In 1765, she married Richard Trotter, a veteran of the French and Indian War.
What a life. Already! By the time she was in her 20s.
She was described as unusually tall. Also, Anne was strong-willed, fearless, and completely comfortable on horseback. She could shoot a rifle. She frequently traveled alone through the wilderness, and she survived under conditions that intimidated many men of her era. In other words. She was a badass.
Her first husband, as mentioned, was Richard Trotter. He was a frontier settler and veteran soldier. He had fought in General Braddock’s ill-fated campaign during the French and Indian War.
Richard was killed on October 10, 1774, during the Battle of Point Pleasant, a major engagement of Lord Dunmore’s War between Virginia militia forces and Shawnee warriors led by Chief Cornstalk. Never go up against a guy named Cornstalk, I’ll tell you.
Anyway, Richard’s death changed Anne’s life dramatically. She never fully recovered from the loss. Many stories claim she vowed revenge and became even more determined to live on the dangerous frontier.
It was after this period that she earned the nickname “Mad Anne.” The word “mad” meant fearless, wild, and fiercely independent. Not mentally unstable.
Anyway, she often traveled alone through territory where attacks were a constant danger.
She frequently wore men’s clothing when traveling because it was more practical for riding and survival. This was highly unusual for the late 1700s.
Again. A real bad ass.
Anne’s greatest claim to fame came around 1791.
A frontier settlement near present-day Charleston, West Virginia, was running dangerously low on gunpowder while facing the threat of attack. Anne volunteered to ride approximately 100 miles through the wilderness to obtain powder from a fort near present-day Lewisburg, WV. She completed the trip and returned with that desperately needed ammunition. It was a feat that became one of the most celebrated stories in frontier history.
The rest of her life continued to be full.
She died peacefully on November 22, 1825, at about 83 years old. Her remains were later moved to Tu-Endie-Wei Park, in West Virginia, specifically in the city of Point Pleasant.
Strong women from our past.
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“Well-behaved women seldom make history.” — Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
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“The most effective way to do it, is to do it.” — Amelia Earhart
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“The bravest thing you can be is yourself.” — Anonymous
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