Page 22 - 2007 DT 12 Issues

March Women, continued from p. 1 ways, married a Comanche warrior
and had children. Nearly 25 years
D e s k S c h e d u l e later, on December 18, 1860, a group
many areas. Surprisingly good money of Texas Rangers attacked a Comanche
Thur/1 OPEN J. Barrett could be made by doing laundry, and camp at Mule Creek, capturing three
F. Davis a good cook might make as much as Indians. To their amazement, one of
Fri/2 D. Kavula OPEN $30 a day. The downside was that a them had blue eyes, though she spoke
Sat/3 W. Barbuck W. Barbuck dozen eggs might cost several dollars only in the Comanche tongue. Regard-
Sun/4 OPEN R. Augulis and even a potato could go for a dollar. less, Col. Isaac Parker was still able
Mon/5 E. Zacharr OPEN To get rich around the mining camps, to identify her as his niece, Cynthia.
Tues/6 M. Slagle C. McLaughlin you had to strike it rich. The San Fran- Touched by her story, the Texas legis-

Wed/7 P. Oleson P. Kepner cisco Daily Alta wrote, "We saw . . . lature granted Cynthia $100 annually
Thurs/8 G. Wojciechowski J. Barrett a French woman, standing in Angel's and a parcel of land, while appointing
F. Davis Creek, dipping and pouring water into Col. Parker and another member of the
Fri/9 G. Fazio R. Erickson the washer, which her husband was family as guardians. Cynthia, however,
Sat/10 P. VanDooremaal R. Erickson rocking. She wore short boots, white longed for her life as a Comanche and
Sun/11 OPEN E. Meeks duck pantaloons, a red flannel shirt and made several attempts to escape and
Mon/12 OPEN S. Stenzel a Panama hat. Day after day she could rejoin her family. Various sourc-
J. Geier be seen working quietly es indicate she died
Tues/13 D./V. Wray D./V. Wray and steadily, performing sometime between
her share of the gold
J. Geier digging labor." It was a 1864 and 1870.
The wives of of-
Wed/14 L. Mills P. Kepner tough life. fIcers in the frontier
Thurs/15 R. Keough J. Barrett A good picture of garrisons were gen-
F. Davis life for women in the erally held in high
Fri/16 G. Fazio D. Schoengold West came from the writ- esteem. Some officers,
Sat/17 J. Kisosondi R. Conductor ings of Amelia Clapp, however, felt they had
Sun/18 OPEN L./M. Utah who took the pen name no place there. One
Mon/19 S. Stenzel OPEN of Dame Shirley and of them titled the first
Tues/20 P. Gertis D. Schoengold wrote "Letters from the chapter of his book,
M. Slagle California Mines" for "Ladies in the United
Wed/21 P. Oleson T. Hughes a California magazine. States Army to the
D. Powers She described herself as Prejudice of Good Or-
Thurs/22 G. Wojciechowski J. Barrett a ". . . home-loving little der and Discipline."
F. Davis thistle" while describing He was in a minority.
Fri/23 C. Camburn D./V. Wray life in the mining town Women introduced a
D./V. Wray of Rich Bar, where she and her husband grace and zest to garrison life that
Sat/24 R. Linsmeier C. McLaughlin had moved to get away from the damp would otherwise have been impos-
Sun/25 B. Saperstein L./M. Utah of San Francisco. Hers was a reason- sible. They were responsible for in-
Mon/26 S. Stenzel D./V. Wray ably ordered life, but for some, life was tervals of gaiety—dinners and balls.
J. Geier an almost unthinkable and harrowing Their presence on the parade ground
adventure. Cynthia Ann Parker's story gave reviews a special flavor. Recall-
Tues/27 OPEN C. McLaughlin is something out of a novel. When ing those days, Martha Summerhayes
J. Geier she was only nine or ten, a war party might have been speaking for many
Wed/28 G. Fazio D. Powers of Comanche and Kiowa attacked a women of the West when she said, "I
Thurs/29 G. Wojciechowski J. Barrett Texas fort along the headwaters of felt sorry that the old days had come
F. Davis the Navasota River on May 19, 1836, to an end. For, somehow, the hardships
Fri/30 OPEN OPEN killing several settlers. The Indians and deprivations we have endured, lose
Sat/31 I. Hyman P. Gertis took five captives, including Cynthia. their bitterness when they have become
She was destined to live with them as a memory." Fortunately, the memory of
Changes? Call Kate at 515-5350 a Comanche girl, came to adopt their women like Martha lives on.

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