A Year in the Life of the Ivinsons by Kim Viner

On the contrary, the women took their role in the courtroom very seriously and were actually praised by the judge and one of the jurors, Sarah Pease, who claimed the women were more informed of the territorial laws than the men were. Women were on juries again briefly in 1871 in Laramie and Cheyenne, and then once again in 1891 in Bonanza.

It was said that these women deserted their families and that women were too emotional to serve on a jury. For the women who were the first to serve on a jury, they were highly criticized by the press. Judge John Howe, who called the women on the jury, fell ill the next year and his successor did not support women serving on juries. The women still faced setbacks not long after this achievement. This mixed jury included six women and 10 men. In March 1870 in Laramie, the first jury in the world to include women was sworn in. This set off a chain reaction of big moments for women in the fight for equality. Wyoming was the first territory in the free world to grant women the right to vote, a bold move in 1869. Find out more about them and the museums and historic centers that honor their memories throughout Wyoming! Wyoming House for Historic Women I spent some time exploring these unsung Wyoming women who made history. They refused, and it took them petitioning seven times before statehood was granted in 1890. Lawmakers in Washington didn’t like that women had the right to vote in Wyoming, and demanded that they revoke women’s suffrage before the territory could be admitted to the Union. It turns out, Wyoming led the charge for women’s rights from early on. In fact, this contributed to why it took so long for Wyoming to become an official state. When you think of Wyoming, do women immediately come to mind? They didn’t for me either, until recently.

But the work achieved by the women I mention below was a significant step forward in this journey, and for that they are worth recognizing. Even today, there are still many voices that have not been rightfully granted the privilege of voting, and we have a massive amount of work ahead to reach a place of equity. Author’s Note: I want to preface this post by recognizing that while the ratification of the 19th amendment was a major milestone in the history of the United States, it also still excluded many women of color from voting for decades to come.

A Year in the Life of the Ivinsons by Kim Viner