What would the frontier experience be like for women in the first wave of American settlement in Colorado?

by Georgy_K_Zhukov
opportunity_mocks

I'd suggest a couple of first-person accounts. All should be available from used book sources online:

  • Emily The Diary of a Hard-Worked Woman , by Emily French. It's from 1890, a bit later than the "first wave" of Colorado settlement, but shows just how terrible conditions could be for a divorced woman in that era and region.

  • Mollie, The Journal of Mollie Dorsey Sanford in Nebraska and Colorado Territories 1857-1866 Probably exactly what you're looking for.

I'd also recommend:

  • This Soldier Life -- The Diaries of Romine H. Ostrander, 1863 and 1864, in Colorado Territory Not written by a woman, but a good first-hand look at the Civil War period in different areas of Colorado.