Iñupiaq men in qayaqs, Noatak, Alaska, circa 1929. Edward S. Curtis Collection, Library of Congress Digital Collections.
Crossing the Chilkoot Pass, circa 1898. Courtesy Candy Waugaman and Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park.
The Gold Rush boomtown of Nome on the Seward Peninsula, 1900. Courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey Photographic Library.
With the upcoming 100th anniversary of women earning the right to vote in the United States, it is interesting to note that on December 10, 1869, the Wyoming territory became the first in the nation to guarantee women unconditional suffrage including the right to vote, hold public office and serve on a jury – 50 years before the 19th Amendment allowed the same rights throughout the United States.
On December 10, 2019, the state of Wyoming celebrated this 150th anniversary of women’s suffrage and Governor Mark Gordon declared it “Wyoming Women’s Suffrage Day.” In Cheyenne, Wyoming’s capital, there were celebrations and activities including a women’s suffrage anniversary march, informative lectures, and tours of the historic and newly renovated State Capitol building. Perhaps similar types of activities can be done in Alaska to mark the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage?
For more about Wyoming’s history of women’s suffrage and anniversary events, see “Wyoming Celebrates Milestone 150th Anniversary of Women’s Suffrage” prepared by the Wyoming Office of Tourism.
