Lynn Bragg - Idahos Remarkable Women: Daughters, Wives, Sisters, and Mothers Who Shaped History

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A previous edition was published by Globe Pequot in 2001.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Bragg, L. E. (Lynn E.), 1956

Title: Idahos remarkable women : daughters, wives, sisters, and mothers who shaped history / Lynn Bragg.

Other titles: More than petticoats. Remarkable Idaho women.

Description: Guilford, Connecticut : TwoDot, [2016] | Series: Women of the West series | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016003384 (print) | LCCN 2016003526 (ebook) | ISBN 9781493023202 (pbk. : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781493023219 (e-book)

Subjects: LCSH: WomenIdahoBiography. | WomenIdahoHistory. | IdahoBiography.

Classification: LCC CT3262.I2 .B73 2016 (print) | LCC CT3262.I2 (ebook) | DDC 920.7209796dc23

LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016003384

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

I do not think that the pioneer women have ever had the praises and credit that is due them for their part in making this great northwestern country what it is.

Eliza Spalding Warren, 1916

I dedicate this book to the memory of a truly remarkable Idaho lady, Dede (Honeyman) Wilhelm. Dede acted as my eyes, ears, and legs in Idaho, and I could not have completed the stories of these women without her. May this book honor Dedes Idaho life and legacy.

A world of thanks also goes to Troy Reeves, former oral historian for the Idaho State Historical Society, for his assistance in person and via e-mail and the postal service.

Special thanks to Terry Abraham and Erin Stoddart, former and present heads of Special Collections and Archives for the University of Idaho Library; Mary Lee Lien, director of the Bannock County Historical Society and Museum; Father Thomas Connolly, S.J., Sacred Heart Mission in DeSmet, Idaho; Kathy Hodges, Idaho State Historical Society; Robert Matuozzi, Washington State University Library Special Collections; Nancy Gale Compau, Spokane Public Librarys Northwest Room; Karen De Seve, Cheney Cowles Museum; the librarians who maintain the wonderful Northwest collection at the Seattle Public Library; Richard Whitney, Sprag Pole Museum in Murray; Marcia Glenn, whose children were godchildren to Margaret Cobb Ailshie; Gwyn Hervochon, librarian/archivist, and Cheryl Oestreicher, head, of the Boise State University Special Collections and Archives; and Darla Moore, descendant of Porivo/Sacajawea.

My appreciation goes out to initial editors Megan Hiller and Charlene Patterson and to my present editor, Courtney Oppel. Thank you for advocating and assisting me through the latest edition of Idahos Remarkable Women.

To my husband, Davethank you for your eternal patience and support!

F rom Sacajawea to silent films, Idaho women have played many uniquwe roles in the development of the state. The actions of the women profiled in this book, including Sacajawea and filmmaker Nell Shipman, continue to affect the state of Idaho by attracting tourists eager to see the historical sites impacted so many years ago by these women.

The real characters within these pages were all born before 1900. All made a profound impact on Idaho, from accompanying explorers to publishing Idahos stories. Some people could argue that the actions of a few of these women proved detrimental to their own race: Sacajawea and Jane Silcott guided white men into the Northwest and showed them where gold was to be found. The actions of both, and of Louise Siuwheem in assisting the priests, certainly changed the destiny of their tribes. These actions, however, are part of Idahos history, and these native women played pivotal roles in that history.

The women within these pages settled the Northwest, contributed to Idahos economic development, fought for womens rights, reported the news, discovered the past, and showcased the beautiful Gem State. A history of Idaho unfolds through the lives of these courageous pioneer and native women. Their stories are told in the hope that we will remember and revere their legacies.

17881812 or 1884

Wadze-wipe, Lost Woman of the Lemhi Shoshone

A s the men of the expedition dragged their boats up the Beaverhead River, the seventeen-year-old Shoshone girl, her baby secure in a cradleboard strapped to her back, walked along the bank of the river with her French-Canadian husband and the red-haired Captain Clark. The trio had gone but a mile when the girl began to leap and dance in a showing of extreme joy. She turned to Captain Clark and gestured toward a group of Indians approaching on horseback. In her excitement the young girl sucked the fingers of her hand as a sign that the riders were Shoshone, her native tribe. It was seven oclock in the morning of Saturday, August 17, 1805, when Sacajawea was reunited with her tribe.

The group continued toward the Shoshone camp, where a crowd of Shoshone people awaited their arrival. A young woman burst through the group and warmly embraced the Shoshone girl arriving with the white men. The tender affection between these two young Shoshone women upon their reunion was a scene that touched the hearts of the travel-weary explorers.

The women had been childhood friends, born and raised in what is now Idahos Lemhi Valley. They had shared the same fate when, as girls, both had been taken prisoner by a raiding tribe of Hidatsa, or Minnetaree.

While Sacajawea was deep in conversation with friends she had thought she would never see again, Captain Clark proceeded on to meet with Captain Lewis and the Shoshone chief Cameahwait. The white men entered a circular tent made of willows, where the chief was seated on a white robe. Cameahwaits hair had been cut short to signify that he was in mourning for deceased relatives. All in the party removed their moccasins and commenced smoking pipes to open the meeting between them. The opening ceremony done, Sacajawea was summoned, as her interpreting services were needed.