ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: BOOSTING THE MYTHIC AMERICAN WEST AND U.S. WOMAN SUFFRAGE: PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND ROCKY MOUNTAIN WOMEN’S PUBLIC DISCOURSE AT THE TURN OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY Tiffany Lewis, Doctor of Philosophy, 2013 Dissertation directed by: Dr. Kristy L. Maddux Department of Communication This project examines how white women negotiated the mythic and gendered meanings of the American West between 1885 and 1935. Focusing on arguments made by women who were active in the public life of the Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountain States, these analyses illustrate the ways the mythic West shaped the U.S. woman suffrage movement and how Western women simultaneously contributed to the meaning of the American West. Through four case studies, I examine the ways women drew on Western myths as they advocated for woman suffrage, participated in place- making the West, and navigated the gender ideals of their time. The first two case studies attend to the advocacy discourse of woman suffragists in the Pacific Northwest. Suffragist Abigail Scott Duniway of Oregon championed woman suffrage by appropriating the frontier myth to show that by surviving the mythic trek West, Western women had proven their status as frontier heroines and earned their right to vote. Mountaineer suffragists in Washington climbed Mount Rainier for woman suffrage in 1909. By taking a “Votes for Women” pennant to the mountain summit, they made a political pilgrimage that appropriated the frontier myth and the turn-of-the- century meanings of mountain climbing and the wilderness for woman suffrage. The last two case studies examine the place-making discourse of women who lived in Rocky Mountain states that had already adopted woman suffrage. Grace Raymond Hebard, a Wyoming historian and community leader, participated in the pioneer reminiscing practices of marking historic sites. Hebard’s commemorations drew on the agrarian myth and Wyoming woman suffrage to domesticate Wyoming’s “Wild West” image and place-make Wyoming as settled, civilized, and progressive. When Jeannette Rankin was elected as Montana’s U.S. Representative in 1916, she introduced herself to the nation by enacting her femininity, boosting Montana’s exceptionalism, and drawing on the frontier myth to explain Western woman suffrage. As I conclude with an analysis of Henry Mayer’s “Awakening” cartoon, I illustrate the ways place-based arguments for woman suffrage and the boosting of Western woman suffrage worked together to construct the meaning of the West as a place of gender equality in the early twentieth century. Boosting the Mythic American West and U.S. Woman Suffrage: Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountain Women’s Public Discourse at the Turn of the Twentieth Century by Tiffany Lewis Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2013 Advisory Committee: Professor Kristy L. Maddux, Chair Professor Gay L. Gullickson Professor James F. Klumpp Professor Shawn J. Parry-Giles Professor Trevor Parry-Giles © Copyright by Tiffany Lewis 2013 Acknowledgements I completed this project with the support of mentors, colleagues, friends, and family. I would most like to thank my advisor, Kristy Maddux, who worked with me as I began my first essay on Western women’s rhetoric. Since then, she has edited numerous drafts, discussed Western women for many hours, and remained a fan of this project throughout its development. She helped make this manuscript better by pushing me to develop my ideas, offering her critical insight, and maintaining high expectations of me and my work. Finally, she has served as a tremendous model of a scholar, teacher, and critic. I have been very lucky to be her first advisee. Second, my dissertation committee assisted in the development of this dissertation. James Klumpp, Shawn Parry-Giles, and Trevor Parry-Giles have encouraged this research from its earliest stages. Their interest in this topic, their feedback on drafts, and their thoughtful recommendations helped strengthen this manuscript. I also had the opportunity to take a wonderful course from Dr. Gay Gullickson, which expanded my understanding of gender history and shaped the development of my research questions. The Department of Communication and the Graduate School at the University of Maryland supported this project by providing multiple research fellowships and teaching releases. Furthermore, a number of librarians and archivists assisted in my archival research. The archivists at the American Heritage Center, the Montana Historical Society, and University of Washington’s Special Collections provided helpful assistance, especially Nicolette Bromberg at the University of Washington. Sara Hayden introduced me to rhetorical criticism and taught my first course on women’s rhetoric. Sara, as well as Valerie Manusov, Mike Peters, Steve Yoshimura, ii Steve Schwarze, and other faculty at University of Montana have encouraged me in my research and graduate work all along. Finally, Cindy Koenig Richard’s scholarly work on women’s rhetoric in the Pacific Northwest served as an inspiration for this project. My colleagues at University of Maryland have been invaluable. Lindsey Fox and Robin Scholz have been there through the thickest and thinnest of times. Terri Donofrio and Alyssa Samek have been tremendous colleagues and friends. I am also thankful for the academic and and personal support of Elizabeth Gardner, Ben Krueger, Steve Underhill, Tim Barney, Abbe Dupretis, Jim Gilmore, Artesha Sharma, Sean Leuchtefeld, Jade Olson, Yvonne Slosarski, and my other colleagues at University of Maryland. Dear friends from around the country have supported me and my work for years now. I am thankful for friends from Seattle—Susan, Jenn, and Jessica; friends from Wyoming—Jenny and Emma; friends from Montana—Maria, Kira, and Brett; friends from DC—Lindsey, Tierney, Kelly Ann, and Mary Beth; and friends from NYC— Alyssa, Mary, Rachel, and Matt. These confidants and companions helped me weather the lows and celebrate the highs. Finally, my parents have supported my academic pursuits, even as they have taken me far from home. They have modeled a love of learning and hardwork throughout my life, and their faith in me has never faltered. iii Table of Contents Acknowledgments ii Table of Contents iv List of Figures v List of Abbreviations vi Introduction 1 Part I: The Rhetoric of the West for Woman Suffrage 1. Abigail Scott Duniway’s Masculine Frontier Myth 110 for Woman Suffrage (1889-1900) 2. Washington Woman Suffragists’ Appropriation of 155 Mountaineering and the Wilderness for Woman Suffrage (1909) Part II: Place-making the West with Woman Suffrage 3. Grace Raymond Hebard’s Domestication of Wyoming through 228 Trail Marking and the Agrarian Myth (1907-1933) 4. Jeannette Rankin’s Feminine Introduction to the Nation: 283 Boosting Montana, Performing Political Expertise, and Encouraging Eastern Suffragists (1916-1917) Conclusion 356 Appendix: Critical Edition of Jeanette Rankin’s Speech, 394 “Democracy and Government” (1917) Bibliography 420 iv List of Figures Chapter 2 2.1. The Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. 174 Photograph by Frank Nowell. 2.2. Mountaineers with the AYPE flag near the summit of Mount Rainier. 176 Photograph by Asahel Curtis. 2.3. Mountaineers at the Summit of Mount Rainier. 178 Photograph by Asahel Curtis. 2.4. Mountaineers hiking in companies. 179 Photograph by Asahel Curtis. 2.5. Women Mountaineers standing at attention. 179 Photograph by Asahel Curtis. 2.6. Mountaineers on Rainier. 186 Photograph by Asahel Curtis. 2.7. Women Mountaineers playing tug of war in camp. 189 Photograph by Asahel Curtis. 2.8. A female Mountaineer kneeling near the flora at the timberline. 191 Photograph by Asahel Curtis. Chapter 5 5.1. Henry “Hy” Mayer’s “The Awakening” Cartoon. 371 Published in Puck, February 20, 1915. 5.2. “Votes for Women: An Object-Lesson.” 374 Published in Harpers Weekly in 1908. 5.3. “Votes for Women a Success” Map. 375 Published by National American Woman Suffrage Association, 1914. 5.4 “Votes for Women” Map Stamp, 1915. 375 5.5. “Two More Bright Spots on the Map.” 376 Printed in Maryland Suffrage News, November 14, 1914. 5.6. “Votes for Women a Success” Map. 376 Distributed by the Austin Woman Suffrage Association, 1913. ⁠ 5.7. Suffrage success maps. 377 The Woman’s Journal, March 10, 1917. 5.8. 1830 Map of the United States. 379 5.9. 1850 Tallis Map of United States. 379 5.10. John Gast, American Progress, 1872. 381 5.11. Front Cover of The Suffragist, January 8, 1916. 385 v List of Abbreviations AWSA American Woman Suffrage Association AYPE Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition CUWS Congressional Unon ion for Woman Suffrage DAR Daughters of the American Revolution NAWSA National American Woman Suffrage Association NWSA National Woman Suffrage Association OESA Oregon Equal Suffrage Association WCTU Women’s Christian Temperance Union WESA Washington Equal Suffrage Association WOTC Wyoming Oregon Trail Commission vi Introduction In 1914, Arizona citizens elected Frances Willard Munds to their state senate, making her their first female state officer.1 As one of only three women in the United States then “wearing the honor of election to a seat in the upper house of a state legislature,” she had succeeded in political office during a time when women in the Eastern states were not yet able to vote.2 This Western woman held special interest for Eastern audiences, for as The Day Book announced, “Arizona Woman Legislator is a Real Westerner; Not Afraid to Shoot.”3 The reporter commented on Munds’ feminine appearance, noting that she was “five feet tall” and wore “silk hosiery, buckled slippers and the most approved length in s[k]irts” even while she simultaneously kept “a revolver hanging in a belt on her bureau.” Senator Munds explained that the revolver was hers and assured the reporter, “and I know how to use it, too! I’m a real western woman.” Proclaiming her Western qualifications proudly, Munds navigated the divergent expectations of a white woman, a Westerner, and a politician.