As an early Women’s History Month program, AAUW Nevada County Branch’s Saturday, February 15th, monthly meeting features guest speaker and New York Times bestselling author Chris Enss speaking on “Wayward Women – Ladies Who Helped Build America”. Through her extensive research, she has discovered surprising and impressive roles women played in building America, including as doctors, railway waitresses, registered nurses, heroic frontier teachers, as well as outlaws, like Belle Starr (with Jesse James), actresses, and “women of the night”. Enss will bring to life stories about some of these remarkable female trailblazers who contributed to the development of the American frontier. The meeting, which is free and open to the public, will be held 9:30-11:30AM at Peace Lutheran Church, 828 W. Main Street, Grass Valley.
For more than 30 years, the local author has been writing about women of the Old West with 50-plus published books to date. The topics of Enss’ books and films span a wide range, from A Beautiful Mine on women prospectors, Hearts West: True Stories of Mail-Order Brides on the Frontier, to High Country Women: Pioneers of Yosemite National Park, Pistol Packin’ Madams,and Happy Trails about Dale Evans and Roy Rogers. Her work has been honored with nine Will Rogers Medallion Awards, two Elmer Kelton Book Awards, an Oklahoma Center for the Book Award, a Willa Cather Award from Women Writing the West for scholarly nonfiction, and more.
Realtor Kimberly Pepe and Ponderosa Physical Therapy are this month’s AAUW Nevada County Branch Program sponsors.
For more than 85 years, the AAUW Nevada County Branch has been striving to advance equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research. AAUW membership is open to individuals with an associate, baccalaureate, or higher degree from a qualified educational institution. For individuals interested in participating in branch interest groups and other activities, but who have not had the opportunity to complete a degree, the Nevada County Branch offers “Friends of AAUW” membership. For more information about the February program and AAUW Nevada County Branch, go to www.nevadacounty-ca.aauw.net .