Amazing Girls of Arizona: True Stories of Young Pioneers - Paperback

by Jan Cleere (Author)

Growing up can be hard enough, but when you are a teenage girl on the western frontier every day is a lesson in survival. From being held captive by a Native American tribe (like Olive Ann Oatman), to mastering the dangerous business of wrangling cattle (like Edith Jane Bass), Amazing Girls of Arizona captures the remarkable lives of eleven real American girls (all seventeen years old or younger) who were pioneers of their time.
Meet Laurette Lovell, born in 1869 with a severe leg deformity, who at age thirteen started on her path to be a renowned pottery artist and painter. Edith Bass, born in 1896, began wrangling mules before the age of nine, leading pack strings up and down the dangerous paths into the Grand Canyon. These two young women, and nine others, are profiled alongside historic photographs. Today's readers will enjoy these stories of real girls who conquered the frontiers of Arizona in their own style.

Back Jacket

Fascinating Profiles of Hope, Determination, and Courage Early Arizona girls were expected to care for younger children, cook and clean, wash clothes, milk cows, tend gardens, and round up wandering herds in a harsh and unfamiliar landscape. Each of the eleven headstrong girls profiled in Amazing Girls of Arizona strained against the confines of her chores, choosing to explore and embrace the wildly beautiful land that is today's Arizona--even if it meant disobeying elders or risking her life. Olive Ann Oatman, an Indian captive, comforted and protected her younger sister when it seemed that all hope was lost. Laurette Lovell, an artist, made a name for herself by rising above her physical disabilities to accomplish more than she ever dreamed possible. Rutho Okimoto, a highly educated Japanese-American girl, was forced to live in a disease-ridden concentration camp just because of her nationality. Edith Jane Bass, a Grand Canyon wrangler, herded mules and horses down the slippery-sloped gorge on behalf of her family's business.

Author Biography

Jan Cleere has distinguished herself in the field of historical nonfiction by tirelessly pursuing long-forgotten manuscripts, tear-stained diaries, and old-timers with a story to tell, relentlessly looking for elusive ghosts from the past. She is the author of two other Globe Pequot books: the award-winning More Than Petticoats: Remarkable Nevada Women (2005), and Outlaw Tales of Arizona: True Stories of Arizona's Most Famous Robbers, Rustlers, and Bandits (2006). Jan holds a writing degree in American Studies and lives in Oro Valley, Arizona.