Alice Lucretia Smith, a descendent of slaves who became a civil rights activist in Reno, once said, "Let's not throw our lives away. Let's do something constructive. I always feel like I want to climb up a little bit, and maybe I can take someone with me." The eighth installment of Mountain Press's state-by-state series for teen readers, Bold Women in Nevada history reveals what women can accomplish when they dare to be bold. The book-and-bust cycles driven by Nevada's mining industry and the state's liberal stance on divorce at the turn of the century allowed women of various backgrounds to break out of traditional gender roles. Divorces didn't always remarry, and widows took charge of their husband's holdings and became landowners or started prospecting to help pay the bills. Young women not only taught in schools"€"they started their own. From Sarah Winnemucca Hopkins, a Paiute who worked as an interpreter, to Mary Fulstone, a rural doctor who traveled through heat, snow, and mud to deliver more than 4,000 babies during her career, to Felice Cohn, who became the fourth female attorney to practice law before the US Supreme Court, the fourteen women featured in this collection broke down barriers of sexism, racism, and political oppression to emerge as heroines of their own time.

This book presents the compelling histories of fifteen pioneer women, all born before 1900, who traveled Nevada Territory in unstable wagons, on temperamental mules, and in early Motel Ts to leave a legacy of courage and celebration as they broke records, hearts, and rules while conquering uncharted ground. Meet Ferminia Sarras, a Nicaraguan immigrant with four young daughters who arrived in Nevada in the early 1800s determined to seek her fortune as a miner . . . and succeeded; Dat so la lee, a Washoe Indian renowned for her basket-weaving artistry whose work is today preserved in museums; and Anne Henrietta Martin, a lifelong suffragette who fought for women's rights and was instrumental in securing the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, giving women the right to vote.

In 1896, a Norwegian immigrant and mother of eight children named Helga Estby was behind on taxes and the mortgage when she learned that a mysterious sponsor would pay $10,000 to a woman who walked across America. Hoping to win the wager and save her family’s farm, Helga and her teenaged daughter Clara, armed with little more than a compass, red-pepper spray, a revolver, and Clara’s curling iron, set out on foot from Eastern Washington. Their route would pass through 14 states, but they were not allowed to carry more than five dollars each. As they visited Indian reservations, Western boomtowns, remote ranches and local civic leaders, they confronted snowstorms, hunger, thieves and mountain lions with equal aplomb. Their treacherous and inspirational journey to New York challenged contemporary notions of femininity and captured the public imagination. But their trip had such devastating consequences that the Estby women's achievement was blanketed in silence until, nearly a century later, Linda Lawrence Hunt encountered their extraordinary story.

From 1860 to 1900, many towns in Nevada sprang up to serve the mining camps in the area. These towns provided the breeding ground for a unique character known as "the mining camp gunman." This book delves into the violent and gritty lives of various Nevada characters, including gunfighting miner Dick Prentice, lawman and politico Leslie Blackburn, peace officer William McKee, ruthless killer Hank Parrish, outlaw escape artist John Burke and other characters.

“Focuses on the lives of several prostitutes who worked in Death Valley area boomtowns between the 1870s and the early 1900s . . . Colorful and intriguing” (Pahrump Valley Times). From the 1870s to the turn of the century, while countless men gambled their fortunes in Death Valley’s mines, many bold women capitalized on the boom-and-bust lifestyle and established saloons and brothels. These lively ladies were clever entrepreneurs and fearless adventurers but also mothers, wives, and respected members of their communities. Madam Lola Travis was one of the wealthiest single women in Inyo County in the 1870s. Known as “Diamond Tooth Lil,” Evelyn Hildegard was a poor immigrant girl who became a western legend. Local author and historian Robin Flinchum chronicles the lives of these women and many others who were unafraid to live outside the bounds of polite society and risk everything for a better future in the forbidding Death Valley desert. Includes photos! “Flinchum’s lively prose and detailed descriptions bring these women into focus, and provide a historically accurate and interesting overview of Death Valley’s pioneering mining era.” —Sierra Wave Media “A thoroughly entertaining and highly enlightening account of the wild Death Valley boom camps’ daring red light ladies . . . A very enjoyable and engaging book. A great read!” —Richard Lingenfelter, author of Death Valley & the Amargosa: A Land of Illusion

Celebrate the power of Black womanhood in this first-of-its-kind collection of inspirational quotes from fifty activists, artists, and leaders, featuring bold, attention-grabbing illustrations—perfect for readers of Herstory and Little Leaders. This incredible volume honors fifty modern women, presented with their own words, who have dared to raise their voices and persevere through hardship and injustice to become revolutionaries and dreamers, artists and creators. Featuring women like musical powerhouse Beyoncé Knowles; tennis star Serena Williams; Meghan, Duchess of Sussex; and activist Angela Davis, this stylish book is perfect for any reader who is seeking grace, courage, strength, and self-love.