Women in Nevada History
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Revised, Corrected, and Expanded Edition A Digital-Only Document Betty J. Glass 2018 WOMEN IN NEVADA HISTORY An Annotated Bibliography of Published Sources Revised, corrected, and expanded edition Betty J. Glass © 2018 Nevada Women’s History Project Dedicated to the memory of Jean Ford (1929-1998), founder of the Nevada Women’s History Project, whose vision has given due recognition to the role women played and are continuing to play in the history of Nevada. Her tireless leadership and networking abilities made the original project possible. Table of Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................... i Annotated Bibliography ................................................................................................ 1 Index of Nevada Women’s Names ........................................................................... 327 Index of Topics .......................................................................................................... 521 Index of Nevada Women’s Organizations ............................................................... 620 Index of Race, Ethnic Identity of Nevada Women .................................................. 666 Genre Index ............................................................................................................... 672 Introduction This annotated bibliography is a product of the Nevada Women’s History Project (NWHP), a statewide educational Nevada non-profit corporation, 501c3. Our mission is “providing visibility and support for the gathering and dissemination of history about the roles and contributions of Nevada women of every race, class, and ethnic background.” The purpose of the Nevada Book Assessment Project is fourfold: 1. To identify published books which include information on women’s roles and experiences in any and all periods of Nevada history. 2. To produce an annotated bibliography for use in classrooms and other formal and informal learning programs. 3. To make the information available via online Internet access; and 4. To encourage additional research and writing on women’s history and related topics in Nevada and the surrounding region. Over 400 books were identified, reviewed by volunteers, annotated, and indexed for the first edition, which was published in 2000. Since that time, there has been a flowering of publishing of books by and/or about the women of Nevada. The second edition includes 1,362 books published through 2017. An effort was made to identify books that were not included in the first edition. In deciding which books to cover, we continued to “cast a wide net,” including many titles which contain minimal content about the women listed, but which are still useful in building a picture of Nevada women throughout history. While some historical and contemporary fiction titles are included, it was beyond the scope of this project to attempt to include all fiction set in Nevada that involve women characters. Who was a Nevada woman? Again, our thinking was broad, including those early pioneers, such as Sarah Royce and the women of the Donner Party, who were “passing through,” as well as later entertainers and national figures who, at some point in their lives, chose to make Nevada home. Temporary Nevadans include those establishing residency for divorce and those who migrate temporarily to Nevada for the Burning Man Festival in the Black Rock Desert. In some instances, captioned photographs were adequate to justify inclusion. The Nevada Women’s History Project acknowledges the following people for their work: Project Coordinators: Patti Bernard, Betty J. Glass, and Mona Reno Reviewers: Cheri Abbott, Patti Bernard, Betty J. Glass, Christianne Hamel, Janice Hoke, Clint Hubbard, Mona Reno, and Margee Richardson Author: Betty J. Glass Editing and technical assistance: The Nevada Women’s History Project is grateful to Kathy Ray, Dean of the University Libraries and Teaching & Learning Technologies at the University of Nevada, Reno, and to the Special Collections and University Archives Department. i Annotated Bibliography 1 Aaron, Jerry. A Chronicle of Nevada’s Great Basin. [Place of publication not identified]: LeRue Press, 2017. 125 pp. In this overview of the history of the high desert region of Nevada, Aaron discusses the nineteenth century wagon train migration, including a general entry about the Donner Party. In 1915, silent film star Anita King became the first women to drive alone across the United States using the new Lincoln Highway. During her stopover in Reno, she was given the key to the city. In 1931, Amelia Earhart flew an experimental gyroplane across Nevada, with stops at Battle Mountain, Lovelock, and Reno on her way to California. Race, ethnic identity of Nevada women included: Euro-American Genre: Community/regional history 2 Aaronson, Mary. Quarter Century Gleanings. (Landscapes). Reno, NV: Frandsen Humanities Press, 2001. 19 pp. Aaronson and her family moved to Reno in 1957. She taught at Reno and Sparks schools for 17 years. In retirement, she and her husband taught contract bridge and conducted bridge tournaments. They received the Hannah Humanitarian Award for their support of the Committee to Aid Abused Women. She included two poems in the memoirs about her childhood and family. “Published as a part of Lifescapes, a life writing program sponsored by the Department of English, University of Nevada, Reno; the Northwest Reno Public Library; and the Nevada Humanities Committee.” Race, ethnic identity of Nevada women included: Jewish Genre: Autobiography, biography, poetry 3 Adams, Eva Bertrand. Windows of Washington: Nevada Education, the U. S. Senate, the U. S. Mint. Reno: Oral History Project, University of Nevada, Reno, [1982]. 374 leaves Native Nevadan Adams graduated from the University of Nevada and had an early teaching career in Las Vegas and then as an English instructor at the University. After serving as Assistant Dean of Women, she became Senator Patrick McCarran’s administrative assistant. While in that capacity, she went to law school and passed the Nevada Bar exam. She provided some details about McCarran’s wife and daughters after his death. She then became the administrative assistant for Nevada Senators Ernest Brown and Alan Bible. Later, President John Kennedy appointed her to be Director of the U. S. Mint. The last section of her oral history addresses issues she dealt with while in charge of the Mint. Race, ethnic identity of Nevada women included: Euro-American (Irish) Genre: General history, oral history 4 Adams, Ken, and Victoria Ford. World War II Veterans Project: Interviews with Seventeen Nevada Veterans, July-August 1995. Reno, NV: University of Nevada, Oral History Program, 1998. 676 pp. Genevieve Harrold is the only woman who gave an oral history for this project. She joined the U.S. Army as a nurse during World War II and served in Europe. After a military career, she eventually lived in Reno in retirement. Some of the men interviewed mention their wives’, parents’, or sisters’ activities during the war. Journalist Leola McDonald endured the false report that one of her sons had been killed in action, and the Reno Bishop insisted on holding a funeral for him. He survived a Japanese prison camp and was later reunited with his family. Race, ethnic identity of Nevada women included: Euro-American (English, French, German) Genre: Oral history An asterisk * indicates too many names in the book to be included in the Name Index. Page 1 of 675 5 Addenbrooke, Alice B. The Mistress of the Mansion. Palo Alto, CA: Pacific Books, 1959. 39 pp. A depiction of the up-and-down fortunes of Allison “Eilley” Orrum Hunter Cowan Bowers, who converted to Mormonism as a teenager to escape the boredom of her life in Scotland. After immigrating to the United States with other converts, she divorced two Mormon husbands in quick succession and finally married Sandy Bowers. The Bowers were among those who struck it rich with the Comstock Lode in Nevada. They built the Bowers Mansion with the proceeds of their silver mine, but then lost their fortune. The book describes how Bowers Mansion has been restored as a county park so that everyone can have a glimpse of what life was like for the “silver barons” in the heyday of Nevada’s silver rush. Race, ethnic identity of Nevada women included: Euro-American (Scottish) Genre: Biography, community/regional history, general history 6* Adrian, Marlene J., and Denise M. Gerdes, eds. Nevada Women’s Legacy: 150 Years of Excellence. Las Vegas, NV: Women of Diversity Productions, 2014. 318 pp. A comprehensive tribute to the achievements and contributions of over 200 Nevada women who have had an influence on the state’s development. Section 1 provides biographical profiles of five First Ladies of Nevada. Section 2, arranged by county, consists of introductory entries covering women’s regional history, followed by autobiographical entries by contemporary activists, artists, businesswomen, educator, and politicians. Many women’s “firsts” are mentioned, along with awards they have received. Section 3 provides descriptions of representative women’s organizations. There were over 1,000 women’s organizations in Nevada when the book went to print in 2014. Section 4 identifies resources for further research about Nevada women. Section 5 consists of women featured on the 2005 Las Vegas Centennial Wall of Women, a Women of Diversity Productions project. Race, ethnic identity of Nevada women included: