"Let's Elect the Women"
November 8, 2016 1:21 PM Subscribe
Dateline Jackson, WY. 1920. A special town meeting was called to address the numerous challenges facing Jackson (pop 307). Faced with a do-nothing local government more concerned with growing their businesses and ranches than improving the community itself, the town's women aired their grievances.
Perhaps as a joke, or out of frustration caused by the list of complaints submitted by the ladies, one of the men offered a solution: “Let’s elect the women.”
They won the election across the ballot and became known (at least in some of the newspapers) as The Petticoat Rulers.
Mayor Grace Miller and Rose Crabtree, Mae Deloney, Genevieve Van Vleck and Faustina Haight made up the town council. Crabtree ran against her husband, Henry, and defeated him 50-31.
You'd be forgiven if you thought this all-female local government made tiny Jackson, WY unique in 1920, the first year of universal suffrage, but you'd be wrong. Oskaloosa, KS and Kanab, UT had already done that. Wyoming voted to enfranchise women in 1869, Utah in 1870 (then changed their minds in 1887), Kansas in 1887.
Also, previously on MeFi.
Just bringing this up today. You know. For no special reason. k.
They won the election across the ballot and became known (at least in some of the newspapers) as The Petticoat Rulers.
Mayor Grace Miller and Rose Crabtree, Mae Deloney, Genevieve Van Vleck and Faustina Haight made up the town council. Crabtree ran against her husband, Henry, and defeated him 50-31.
You'd be forgiven if you thought this all-female local government made tiny Jackson, WY unique in 1920, the first year of universal suffrage, but you'd be wrong. Oskaloosa, KS and Kanab, UT had already done that. Wyoming voted to enfranchise women in 1869, Utah in 1870 (then changed their minds in 1887), Kansas in 1887.
Also, previously on MeFi.
Just bringing this up today. You know. For no special reason. k.
People had better names back then.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 1:55 PM on November 8, 2016
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 1:55 PM on November 8, 2016
People had better names back then.
Especially Jimminy Christmas.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 3:31 PM on November 8, 2016
Especially Jimminy Christmas.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 3:31 PM on November 8, 2016
See also the brilliant article & podcast by Damn Interesting, on the Petticoat Rebellion of 1916 in Umatilla, Oregon.
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:08 PM on November 8, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:08 PM on November 8, 2016 [1 favorite]
What a great story. I enjoy the fact that they got in on the "Jimminy Christmas, is it so hard to build a frickin' sidewalk?" platform.
That's pretty much the reason my home town exists as an entity - the larger town it was a part of refused to fund sidewalks for the city center, so the city center and its extant! railroad stop became a new town.
posted by maryr at 12:09 PM on November 9, 2016 [2 favorites]
That's pretty much the reason my home town exists as an entity - the larger town it was a part of refused to fund sidewalks for the city center, so the city center and its extant! railroad stop became a new town.
posted by maryr at 12:09 PM on November 9, 2016 [2 favorites]
I love women and the stories of the wild west so this is perfect. Thanks.
posted by perrouno at 7:12 PM on November 9, 2016
posted by perrouno at 7:12 PM on November 9, 2016
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Also Pearl.
posted by Diablevert at 1:49 PM on November 8, 2016 [6 favorites]