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CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Wyoming is a state known for cowboys, rodeos, and beautiful plains, but is also known for being the first territory to grant women the right to vote, something historian Jennifer Helton explored in her Suffrage Stories presentation.

Helton was invited to highlight Wyoming’s remarkable role in the fight for women’s suffrage as part of the museum’s special America 250 Discover & Discuss series on Jun 18, but the recorded version was just released. This is a part of Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum’s goal of exploring Cheyenne and the greater state of Wyoming’s history.

Helton’s presentation not only celebrates Wyoming’s role in suffrage, but also how the state’s pioneering women helped shape the future of voting rights across the nation.

Born and raised in Wyoming, Jennifer Helton left the state at age 18 to attend college, “which left a giant, Wyoming-sized hole in my heart,” Helton said, “and the way that I fill that hole is by conducting research on women’s suffrage.”

Upon realizing that most people outside of the state of Wyoming did not know the West’s progressive role in suffrage, she became obsessed with bridging this knowledge gap and researching the history of suffrage.

“My kids would tell you it’s an obsession, not just an interest or a hobby,” Helton said. “They always joke that I have three kids, the two of them and then Esther Morris.”

During her presentation, Helton’s admiration for Esther Morris was apparent due to her trailblazing nature as suffragist, her courage to stand up to torch-bearing mobs, and abolitionist activities.

Interestingly enough, her sons were also instrumental in shaping Wyoming’s history. E.A. Slack is known as the “Father of Frontier Days” and citizens of Wyoming can thank Robert C. Morris for Cheyenne’s public library, as he brought the Carnegie Public Library System to Wyoming.

Photo of Esther Morris, the first female justice of the peace (Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum). Credit: Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum (Jennifer Helton Presentation) / Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum

Throughout the course of her presentation, Helton revealed the results of her research by tracing the course of American history in order to highlight the intersection between Wyoming, women, and winning the right to vote.

The talk also highlighted incredible Black women such as Lucy Phillips and Nancy Phillips, some of the first Black women to vote.

As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, the museum invites visitors to explore the stories of trailblazers like the nation’s first woman justice of the peace Esther Morris, the first woman governor, the first Black women to vote, and many other extraordinary leaders who made history.

The museum is hosting its special America 250 exhibit and allows visitors to discover the stories, artifacts, and moments that connect the community to the nation’s history. The exhibit even features six U.S. presidents who visited Cheyenne or Cheyenne Frontier Days, and is currently running at the museum. For those who cannot attend, lectures such as this are filmed and provided online.

As Helton closed her lecture, she read the words of Esther Morris, “I say do all the good you can while you do live.”

“Because women like Esther Morris, like Theresa Jenkins, had the courage to stand up and do all the good that they could in their lives we are all able to live the lives that we are living today,” Helton said.

“So, we should be grateful to them, and I think we should also be asking ourselves what is it that we need to be doing so that future generations can preserve the same opportunities we have, and perhaps more.”

Watch Jennifer Helton’s full presentation at the link provided here.

To learn more about historian Jennifer Helton visit jenniferhelton.org.

Jennifer Helton’s information (Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum).

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