Mountain Women Can be Heroes
A Program of Songs and Stories of Remarkable Adirondack Women
Sandra Weber and Peggy Lynn believe there needs to be a female role added to the record of Adirondack history. There were women in this mountainous region from the early 1800’s. They came from many places, backgrounds and social or economic strata.
Little more than a mention is made in most regional history texts, but women made significant contributions to Adirondack communities and their heritage. Sandra and Peggy have written a book to start balancing the scales. It is called Breaking Trail: Remarkable Women of the Adirondacks. It tells the stories of women from across time, across the Park, and with widely varied interests and achievements.In conjunction with the book, Sandra and Peggy have developed a program of songs and stories which is titled “Mountain Women Can Be Heroes.” They bring to this program their extensive lecturing and performing experience along with their infectious enthusiasm for this material and the new songs and stories they have written. They hope the writing and telling of these women’s stories will be passed down to succeeding generations, starting with their own daughters.Here are some examples of women whose comical, amazing, or poignant experiences we celebrate:
Mother Johnson - famous among travelers for her hospitality and huge, mouthwatering stacks of pancakes.
Lydia Martin-Smith - the behind-the-scenes business person who helped her husband build a hospitality empire.
Martha Reben - the author who came to the Adirondacks to be treated for tuberculosis and was cured by the fresh air of the wilderness.
The Arnolds - isolated pioneer women, subsistence farmers, independent, fearless bareback horse riders.
Emily Neville - Newberry Award winning children’s author, lawyer, social activist, avid traveler.
Grace Hudowalski - the first woman to climb all forty six High Peaks in the Adirondacks. She was a founding member of the 46er’s Club.
Orra Phelps, MD - botanist and physician who compiled maps and trail information to publish the Adirondack Mountain Club’s first guidebook for the High Peaks.
Margaret Emerson - the matriarch of Great Camp Sagamore who entertained dignitaries and celebrities from all over the world.
Kate Field - actress, lecturer, journalist and author who wrote of her travels through the Adirondacks in 1869.
Inez Milholland - controversial activist who led suffragist parades on a huge, white horse.
Little more than a mention is made in most regional history texts, but women made significant contributions to Adirondack communities and their heritage. Sandra and Peggy have written a book to start balancing the scales. It is called Breaking Trail: Remarkable Women of the Adirondacks. It tells the stories of women from across time, across the Park, and with widely varied interests and achievements.In conjunction with the book, Sandra and Peggy have developed a program of songs and stories which is titled “Mountain Women Can Be Heroes.” They bring to this program their extensive lecturing and performing experience along with their infectious enthusiasm for this material and the new songs and stories they have written. They hope the writing and telling of these women’s stories will be passed down to succeeding generations, starting with their own daughters.Here are some examples of women whose comical, amazing, or poignant experiences we celebrate:
Mother Johnson - famous among travelers for her hospitality and huge, mouthwatering stacks of pancakes.
Lydia Martin-Smith - the behind-the-scenes business person who helped her husband build a hospitality empire.
Martha Reben - the author who came to the Adirondacks to be treated for tuberculosis and was cured by the fresh air of the wilderness.
The Arnolds - isolated pioneer women, subsistence farmers, independent, fearless bareback horse riders.
Emily Neville - Newberry Award winning children’s author, lawyer, social activist, avid traveler.
Grace Hudowalski - the first woman to climb all forty six High Peaks in the Adirondacks. She was a founding member of the 46er’s Club.
Orra Phelps, MD - botanist and physician who compiled maps and trail information to publish the Adirondack Mountain Club’s first guidebook for the High Peaks.
Margaret Emerson - the matriarch of Great Camp Sagamore who entertained dignitaries and celebrities from all over the world.
Kate Field - actress, lecturer, journalist and author who wrote of her travels through the Adirondacks in 1869.
Inez Milholland - controversial activist who led suffragist parades on a huge, white horse.
