Women Go West

This summer we will be focusing specifically on women pioneers - their role in pioneer history, how the frontier changed them, and how they changed the frontier.

Who was the typical pioneer woman?
What motivated her to go West?

In the East, life for a woman of the 1800s was predominantly a life of domesticity.  Her lifestyle was one of manners, dances, fashion, and the romanticism of the 1800s.  Women were brought up with the necessary qualities to be a good wife and mother.

One of, if not THE magazine of the period for women was Godey's Book.  Filled with fashions, patterns, stories, styles, and all the latest news for the women of that period.  Its editor, Sarah Hale, brought to life the ideal woman, the norm of society's 19th century woman.  Although many a lady packed her Godey's for the trip west, the reality of what she was to face was not found in its pages.  The ideal woman of Boston, for instance, was not the ideal woman of Oklahoma.


Godey's was soon discarded when women realized what was actually awaiting them on the frontier, but as we'll see next time, it was actually Godey's that helped to entice the women to dream of a new life in the wild open country of the West.

To read more about Godey's Lady's Book and Magazine click here.(Wikipedia)