Wyoming House for Historic Women explained

The Wyoming House For Historic Women, also known as Wyoming Women's History House^[1] is a museum in downtown Laramie, Wyoming, United States, which celebrates the achievements of 13 women from the state of Wyoming.^[2] It was established by the Louisa Swain Foundation, which honors Louisa Swain, the first woman in the United States to vote in a general election. She cast her ballot on September 6, 1870, in Laramie, Wyoming.^{[3] [4]} The museum opened in 2012.^[5] The Wyoming State Historical Society says Swain was "the first woman in the world to cast a ballot under laws giving women and men equal voting rights".^[6]

The Johnson Lummis Hunkins Plaza is outside the Wyoming House for Historic Women. A statue of Louisa Swain in her honor was dedicated in the Johnson Lummis Hunkins Plaza in 2005. The statue is called "The Franchise", and was created by John D. Baker.^{[7] [8]}

The women

The women who form the subject matter of the museum are:^[9]

• Louisa Gardner Swain, first woman in the United States to vote in a general election, 1870^{[3] [4]}
• Eliza Stewart, first woman in America selected to serve on a jury, 1870^{[10] [11]}
• Martha Symons Boies Atkinson, first female bailiff in the United States, 1870^[12]
• Lynne Cheney, wife of Vice President Dick Cheney^[13]
• Barbara Cubin, first woman to represent Wyoming in Congress, starting in 1995^[14]
• Verda James, first woman to serve a full term as the Speaker of the Wyoming House of Representatives^{[15] [16]}
• Marilyn S. Kite, first female Chief Justice on the Wyoming Supreme Court, chosen in 2010^[17]
• April Brimmer Kunz, first female President of the Wyoming Senate, starting in 2003 and ending in 2005^{[13] [18]}
• All Woman Council of Jackson, an all-woman city government (including town council and mayor, who in turn appointed women to town marshal, town clerk and treasurer), elected in 1920^[19]
• Anna Edith Miller, first woman licensed as a nurse in Wyoming, licensed in 1909^[13]
• Esther Hobart Morris, first female justice of the peace in the United States, 1870^{[20] [21]}
• Estelle Reel, first woman elected to Wyoming public office, as the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, elected in 1895^[22]
• Nellie Tayloe Ross, Governor and first female Director of the U.S. Mint^[13]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Wyoming's House for Historic Women . VisitLaramie.org . 22 August 2018.
2. News: A State-By-State Guide To The Top Women's History Landmarks In America. Bloom. Laura Begley. 2018-03-19. Forbes. 2018-08-22. en.
3. Book: Beeton, Beverly . Women vote in the West: the Woman Suffrage Movement, 1869–1896. Garland Science. New York. 1986. 978-0-8240-8251-2. 11.
4. Book: Danilov, Victor J.. Women and museums: a comprehensive guide. AltaMira Press. Lanham, MD. 2005. 978-0-7591-0854-7. 68.
5. News: Wyoming House for Historic Women opens in Laramie. 2012-06-12. Washington Examiner. 2018-08-22. en.
6. "The Wyoming House for Historic Women", in "Wyohistory.org." Laramie, Wyoming: Wyoming State Historical Society, retrieved online September 1, 2018.
7. Web site: "The Franchise" statue by John D. Baker in the Johnson Lummis Hunkins Plaza outside the Wyoming House for Historic Women in downtown Laramie, Wyoming. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA.
8. Web site: The Wyoming House For Historic Women . https://web.archive.org/web/20160324035412/https://www.thelouisaswainfoundation.com/the_wyoming_house_for_historic_women . March 24, 2016 . live . thelouisaswainfoundation.com. September 6, 2016.
9. Web site: The Wyoming House For Historic Women . Louisa Swain Foundation . 22 August 2018.
10. ‘’Laramie Boomerang’’, Oct. 16, 1917
11. Larson, T. A. (1979), History of Wyoming. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press
12. Web site: A List of Firsts for Wyoming Women . WyoHistory.org . July 29, 2019 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230927051945/https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/list-firsts-wyoming-women . Sep 27, 2023 .
13. Web site: Ground broken for state museum honoring women. https://web.archive.org/web/20221031022800/https://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming/ground-broken-for-state-museum-honoring-women/article_b10177ac-56b4-5345-81a0-acc3cab7dc79.html . 2022-10-31 . Sep 19, 2004 . The Billings Gazette .
14. Web site: CUBIN, Barbara L. . US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240610060839/https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/C/CUBIN,-Barbara-L--(C000962)/ . Jun 10, 2024 .
15. Web site: Verda James, First Full-term Woman Speaker of Wyoming's House of Representatives WyoHistory.org. www.wyohistory.org. 2019-11-13.
16. Web site: Notable Women In Wyoming Politics. Freeman. Gary. KGAB AM 650. en. 2019-11-14.
17. News: First female named state supreme court chief justice . Haderlie . Carrie . March 21, 2010 . Laramie Boomerang . Laramie, Wyoming . December 4, 2014 .
18. Web site: Dec 2022 . Past Officers of Wyoming's State Legislature . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240526175854/https://sos.wyo.gov/Services/docs/LegOfficers.pdf . May 26, 2024 . Wyoming Secretary of State.
19. Web site: 2020-05-26. Petticoat Rules: The first women leaders of Jackson 100 years ago. 2020-10-28. Buckrail - Jackson Hole, news. en-US.
20. Book: Cummings, Kathryn Swim . Esther Hobart Morris, The Unembellished Story of the Nation's First Female Judge . Glendo, WY . High Plains Press . 2019.
21. Web site: Trailblazer: Wyoming's first female judge, Esther Hobart Morris was ahead of her time . Rena . Delbride . February 4, 2009 . Made in Wyoming, Our Legacy of Success . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090426071329/http://www.madeinwyoming.net/profiles/morris.php . April 26, 2009.
22. Web site: Estelle Reel, First Woman Elected to Statewide Office in Wyoming . Kerry . Drake . 2014-11-08 . 2021-07-06. WyoHistory.org . Wyoming State Historical Society.