Women on the California Trail subject of lecture

History Professor to Discuss

Women's Experiences on the California Trail

MINDEN, Nev.

Nevada State Parks invites the public to hear history professor Doris Dwyer present "Women's Voices from the Overland Trail" at the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17.

Dwyer's presentation is based on the diaries, memoirs and reminiscences of pioneer women and men who traveled westward from the 1840s through the 1860s. These accounts, which pay special attention to the landscape, Native Americans, and the danger and promise of the journey, provide a vivid account of pioneer life and illustrate how women pioneers often formed the backbone and inspiration for the long, arduous western journeys of 19th-century emigrants.

Dwyer is a professor of history at Western Nevada College whose research focuses on women pioneers of the 19th-century American west. She is also nationally known for her Chautauqua portrayals of remarkable women from this period. Her appearance is supported by the Nevada Humanities Committee, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and NV Energy.

This free outdoor program is part of a speaker series offered by Nevada State Parks at the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park. Chairs and shade shelters are provided by the park. Visitors are welcome to bring lawn chairs and encouraged to bring a jacket and drinking water.

Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park, located just west of Minden in Douglas County at 1450 Highway 88, features several historic buildings constructed between 1857 and 1920, including what was once one of the most prominent homes in Carson Valley. The site was settled in 1857 by Carson Valley pioneer Heinrich F. Dangberg, Sr.

The Nevada Division of State Parks plans, develops and maintains a system of parks and recreation areas for the use and enjoyment of more than 2.3 million visitors a year. The division was established in 1963 by the Nevada Legislature to form a new state park agency within the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The division manages and maintains 24 parks in Nevada.

NEVADA DIVISION OF STATE PARKS

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

901 S. Stewart St., Ste. 5005

Carson City, NV 89701-5248

(775) 684-2770

www.parks.nv.gov