5 Colorado Women You Should Know About
Colorado women, like Colorado in general, are known for their natural inclination for adventure. Natives to this state are often known world-wide for their athletic, musical, or intellectual prowess. The women of Colorado are no different. As a Mercedes-Benz driver in the beautiful state of Colorado, you won’t want to miss out on learning about the incredible women who have also called your state home. Follow Mercedes-Benz of Littleton on a journey to learn about the Colorado women who have shaken things up in the sciences, the arts, in politics, and through their adventures.
1. Temple Grandin
Professor of Animal Sciences at Colorado State University
Image courtesy of San Antonio Peace Center
While Temple Grandin wasn’t born in Colorado, she has long held the state as her home. Dr. Grandin may be the most influential name in animal sciences, and her impact has definitely effected your daily life without you know it. Dr. Grandin entered the livestock industry and re-designed livestock systems and slaughterhouses to be more humane and efficient in their treatment of animals. Furthermore, she broke the glass ceiling on the whole of the agricultural industry not only as a woman, but also as a person with autism. Dr. Grandin, who is now in her 70s, speaks around the world about how to better incorporate people on the autism spectrum into society because she knows firsthand how those who think differently have the capacity to radically change the world as we know it.
For more information on Dr. Temple Grandin, you can read any of her many books and autobiographies, or watch this amazing narrative-style documentary. Make sure not to miss out on her speaking tours as well!
2. Julia Archibald Holmes
First Woman to climb Pikes Peak
Photo courtesy of Colorado Springs Gazette
Born in 1858, Julia Holmes lived almost everywhere in her life. She was born in Canada and lived everywhere from Massachusetts, Kansas, Colorado, Washington D.C., and New Mexico. While not a Colorado native, she holds the record for the first woman to climb Pikes Peak, so you should know about her. Julia secured this title while she and her husband were traveling with a group of gold miners. She and her husband decided to climb the peak despite friends urging them not to. Their success landed her the world first.
In addition to this feat, Julia Holmes was also an ardent feminist, abolitionist, and anti-slavery advocate. She spent her life demonstrating what women could do and eventually made her way to Washington D.C., where, as a single mother, she worked on capitol hill and started suffrage movements across the nation.
Helen Ring Robinson
First of Many Colorado Women Elected to the Senate
Image courtesy of Wikipedia.
Born in 1878, Helen Robinson was a journalist, teacher, women’s rights advocate, and politician. She was the first woman in the Colorado Senate. She was also the first woman to become a US senator for Colorado. This made her the second female US senator in the nation. She was born in the Northeast, however, she moved to Colorado Springs in 1893 and lived in Denver for the majority of her life until her death in the 1920s.
Hattie McDaniel
First African American actress to win an Academy Award
Hattie McDaniel moved to Fort Collins when she was seven years in 1900. Her parents were slaves earlier in their lives, and she was the youngest of 13 children. She spent her young life engaged in theater, circus, and performing arts, but was not in a feature-length film until her part as a maid in the 1932 film The Golden West. She continued to play maids in several other movies because of the restrictions and racism which kept her from playing different roles. However, her role as Mammy in Gone with the Wind earned her the first academy award ever presented to an African American actress.
Despite this achievement, McDaniel was not allowed to attend the film’s premiere because of Jim Crow laws and racism. The film has a sordid history of promoting racial inequality and tension and being altogether insensitive to issues now or then. Despite this, McDaniel deserved her recognition. She, and many other Colorado women, paved the way for social and political progress in the nation.
Chipeta
Ouray chief
Image courtesy of Wikipedia
Chipeta lived near current-day Montrose, Colorado where she was the wife of the chief of the Ute Native American tribe in that region. She co-led the group with him and participated in negotiations with the U.S. government in Washington D.C. Settlers knew her as a friend. She went out of her way to strengthen relationships between the encroaching white settlers and her own people.
The Ute Removal Act of 1880 forced her to move to the Uintah Indian Reservation in Utah. Her husband died prior to the move, so she became the de facto leader of her people. Once in Utah Chipeta and her people relied on infrequent rations from the U.S. government. Despite these harsh conditions and the betrayal from the U.S., Chipeta continued to rally her people to peace and was the only woman ever allowed to sit in a Ute tribal council meeting. When she died, the government buried her in Colorado near her once-home.
Keep Driving On
Wherever you drive your Mercedes-Benz luxury vehicle, we hope you remember these impactful Colorado women. They climbed Colorado’s mountains and travelled Colorado’s roads when it was challenging to be a woman with independence. At Mercedes-Benz, we want to help you become a trendsetter. Every person has the ability to stand up for what is right. People will notice you in your Mercedes-Benz, therefore it is up to you to always demonstrate your beliefs through actions. Read more about these Colorado women and other important men and women of history to find role models for yourself.
As always, if you ever need help with your Mercedes-Benz, we are here to help. Our blog has many useful articles which explain the nuts and bolts of our best deals and resources. We also have some fun and offer many tips for getting the most out of Colorado! Sometimes we even learn a little ourselves!
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