Girlhood in the Frontier West

6 Locations | Curated by Megan Bailey, Brigham Young University

A collection of stories highlighting the experiences of girls in the late-19th and early-20th century American West

Nestled in the mountains of northeast Utah, Camp Cloud Rim has been a place of refuge, belonging, and adventure to Girl Scouts for nearly a hundred years. Rising like a phoenix from its ashes at the turn of the century, the camp stands as a testament to the strength and kindness of its community.
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As an only child in rural Idaho Carol found amusement in her grandmother’s stories of an adventurous childhood in a homestead bustling with children and mischief. Later in life Carol would immortalize her grandmother through the titular character in the beloved children’s novel Caddie Woodlawn.
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The first Girl Scout troop was founded in Virginia in 1912, and it wasn’t long before troops sprouted up throughout the nation. Founded by Juliette Gordon Low, the organization was modeled to build “courage, confidence, and character,” as their mission statement declares. Becoming a Girl Scout also…
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Best remembered for committing a stagecoach robbery, and her rare identity as a “Lady Outlaw” of the Wild West, the life of Pearl Hart might not have been as adventurous or romantic as it appears on the surface.
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In the aftermath of her traumatic childhood, Mother Cabrini devoted her life to bettering the lives of young girls and orphans, especially in immigrant communities. Golden, Colorado is home to an orphanage and summer camp she built entirely from local donations and volunteer work.
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In the wake of a massacre, an orphaned girl is taken captive and raised by Native Americans on the Western Frontier. She returns to Euro-American society in adulthood, becoming a shrouded mystery through each conflicting narrative she spins.
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