Women are important in the everyday life of society; the community nowadays heavily relies on women. In order to illustrate the significant role of women in modern society, this paper will explore the theme in the example of Canon City, Colorado. The research on the importance of women in Canon City will explore the women’s participation in the historical creation of Canon City and in different areas of social life in Canon City.
There are several examples of significant female figures in the history of Canon City. As many early settlers came to canon city with their families, the wives’ input into creating the city was equal to their husbands. However, there are not as many streets named after pioneer women of Canon City. One of the pioneer women, Mary Virginia Macon, arrived in Canon City with her husband Thomas Macon in 1864. Mary Virginia Macon was a talented musician that took a significant part in the musical entertainment of the city under her responsibility (Mares, 2021a). Macon effectively supported the social life of Canon City and participated in several women’s clubs.
Another pioneering woman, Mary Caitlin, originally came to the United States from Lincolnshire, England. In the United States, Caitlin lived in Ohio and Nebraska before moving to Colorado. Even though there is not much known about her life, her presence in Canon City was marked in history (Mares, 2021a). She was one of the first women who arrived in Canon City and became the second white woman from Canon City to give birth. In the history of Canon City, she is known as ‘Grandma.’
An interesting story happened in the 1860s to Anson Rudd and his wife, Harriet Rudd. The couple was originally on the way to California but never made it there after encountering Canon City for the first time. Harriet stated to her husband that Canon City was the best thing that they have encountered, and the couple should reject the idea of moving to California and staying in Canon City instead (Mares, 2021a). The same cabin that the couple used to live in now resides on the territory of the Royal George regional museum. This case clearly illustrates how much one admired Canon City and how women always played a significant role in Canon City.
Moving forward in chronological order, one of the pioneers, Emma Webster, is famous for her considerable contribution to convincing Andrew Carnegie to grant Canon City money for building a public library. Some even say that Webster was reported to be pushing a cart filled with books to emphasize the population’s need in the public library (Mares, 2021a). Webster herself worked as a librarian in the library’s new building and even provided janitorial services there. The current population of Canon City should thank Webster for her continuous enthusiasm and energy. The same building is the current residence of the Canon City Ladies Library Association.
Women of Canon City and women of Colorado actively participated in women’s suffrage; due to their efforts, the state was one of the earliest to grant women suffrage. One of the suffragettes was a famous writer of stories about women’s lives, Emma Ghent Curtis, who lived and created in Canon City. Curtis originally arrived in Canon City due to her poor health condition. Together with her husband, whom she met after arrival in Canon City, they participated in the local newspaper’s publishing process. The newspaper, like Curtis herself, promoted the populist party and the suffrage movement. Curtis wrote two books focused on stories of women and women’s rights that encouraged the reformation of society.
Aside from fighting for their rights, the Women of Canon City even participated in Woodcraft. According to Mares (2021d), the Women of Woodcraft organization was an auxiliary to the Woodmen of the World and counted more than 37 thousand members across 527 circles in different stats. Canon City was represented by the Circle 120, which was formed in 1898. The organization was popular due to offering death benefits for its members. The members of the organization actively participated in the activities twice a month and competed in drill contests.
In events closer to the modern time, in 1974, a massive collection of almost two thousand objects was donated to the Royal Gorge Regional Museum & History Center. The donation belonged to Laura Huntley, a devoted antique collector. The story of Huntley and her husband is one of the classic American dream stories. Laura was born in 1895 and attended South Canon High School in 1910. She first met her husband when they were around 12 years old. By the time Laura finished high school, Paul Huntley had worked at a ranch 30 miles away from Laura, so the pair rarely saw each other.
Moreover, Laura’s father disapproved of their relationship as he thought that his daughter should not be with someone who only owns a saddle and a job. Still, somehow, they managed to achieve approval from Laura’s father and married in 1913 (Mares, 2021c). Despite financial difficulties in the early stages of family life, the pair stayed together and donated Laura’s collection of antique items of historical significance to the museum Royal Gorge Regional Museum & History Center. The donation was made as a part of the bicentennial celebrations of The State of Colorado and the United States.
The last historical figure that represented the importance of women in Canon City is Ruth Carter. Carter was born in 1916 and is famous for being the first woman in Colorado who gained the Chief Probation Officer’s title. The title of Chief Probation Officer of the 11th Juridical District was given to Carter after long years of working as a probation officer in the department of welfare. In 1982, Carter was even given the title of Probation Officer of the Year, but she retired soon after 1986 (Mares, 2021b). After her retirement, Carter pursued a career as an educator in criminal justice courses and later became the first female mayor of Canon City.
In conclusion, this paper explored the importance of women in the history of Canon city through multiple stories of women who made significant contributions to the creation of Canon City. On par with their husbands, the pioneer wives brought substantial additions to the social and cultural life of Cannon City. As a talented musician, Mary Virginia Macon was responsible for the musical entertainment of the pioneer Canon City, and Emma Webster provided the city with a grant of money for the library setup and building. Other pioneer women also took an important part in the city’s social life by participating in various clubs, defending women’s rights, and caring for the future generations of Canon City residents. Other historically important women figures in history, particularly Laura Huntley and Ruth Carter, made great contributions to the local museum by donating rare antiques of historical significance and successfully performing their duties as mayor.
References
Mares, B. (2021a). Pioneer Women. Royal Gorge Regional Museum & History Center.
Mares, B. (2021b). Ruth Carter. Royal Gorge Regional Museum & History Center.
Mares, B. (2021c). Laura Huntley. Royal Gorge Regional Museum & History Center.
Mares, B. (2021d). Acquisition Recognition – Women of Woodcraft Ledger. Royal Gorge Regional Museum & History Center.