Women’s Organizations at the Turn of the Century: Community and Empowerment
Western mining towns in the late-nineteenth century were generally lonely places to live, especially for women. The many men and few women from diverse backgrounds that traveled to remote mining towns left behind familiarity and family for an extremely risky economy with high turnover. Even in such isolation, Western women still created sorority and a sense of belonging through women’s clubs and organizations. This tour examines several sites which cultivated women’s empowerment and community in mining towns during the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. Each location offered a space where women could realize self-improvement through education and self-fulfillment through culture. These women’s organizations dedicated themselves to creative expression, critical thinking and writing skills, and affirming personhood. While a few of these groups did engage in civic activity, as did many women’s organizations during this time, this tour is dedicated to women who participated for personal reasons rather than moral obligations. These clubs were for women, by women.
Rose Cottage and the Blue Tea
Clubs provided women a means to promote sisterhood, education, and empowerment. The Blue Tea club, which met at Rose Cottage in Salt Lake City, embodied these ideals.
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Ladies Literary Clubhouse
The Ladies Literary Club was a vanguard of women’s organizations in Utah. This clubhouse, nicknamed the Grand Dame of South Temple [Street], provided a space where the club could realize its mission: “education for the many.”
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Hearst Free Library’s Women’s Club
The Hearst Free Library is an important cultural and education site to residents of Anaconda, Montana. During the early nineteenth century, the Women’s Club used this space to expand both their knowledge and social circle.
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Piper’s Opera House and the Virginia Benevolent Association
This historic venue in Virginia City, Nevada offered a space for women during the early nineteenth century to express their creativity. Whether it was public plays or private theatrics, the auditorium was a place where women could escape daily life and participate in meetings dedicated to their unique interests with friends.
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Burr Studio and the Denver Women’s Press Club
The Denver Women’s Press Club met in Burr Studio beginning in 1924 to organize, socialize, and develop their professional interests. Members discussed writing topics, offered feedback, and provided support and friendship.
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