Ranching Women of Colorado

Register on eventbrite or purchase tickets in-person at the museum.

The 19th century west opened opportunities for women, including entering the male-dominated ranching industry. Join author Linda Womack as she tells the stories of women ranchers in Colorado. These women not only survived, but thrived, in a role outside the conventional norm.

About Linda Wommack

A Colorado native, Linda Wommack is a Colorado historian and historical consultant. An award-winning writer, she has written eighteen books on Colorado history, including Murder in the Mile High City, Colorado’s Landmark Hotels, From the Grave; : A Roadside Guide to Colorado’s Pioneer Cemeteries, Our Ladies of the Tenderloin: Colorado’s Legends in Lace, Colorado History for Kids; Colorado’s Historic Mansions and Castles, Colorado’s Historic Schools, Ann Bassett; Colorado’s Cattle Queen, Haunted History of Cripple Creek and Teller County, Growing Up with the Wild Bunch, Ranching Women of Colorado, Cripple Creek, Bob Womack and the Greatest Gold Camp on Earth, and From Sand Creek to Summit Springs; Colorado’s Indian Wars. She has also contributed to two anthologies concerning Western Americana. She is the proud recipient of three Will Rogers Medallion awards for her work.

Linda has been a contributing editor for True West Magazine since 1995 and has been a staff writer for Wild West magazine, contributing a monthly article since 2004. She has written for the Tombstone Epitaph, the nation’s oldest continuously published newspaper, since 1993. Linda also writes for several publications throughout her state. She was earned two Six-Shooter awards for her magazine articles.

Linda’s research has been used in several documentary accounts for the national Wild West History Association, historical treatises of the Sand Creek Massacre, and as critical historic aspects for the Lawman & Outlaw Museum as well as the Heritage Center, both in Cripple Creek, Colorado.

Linda feeds her passion for history with activities in many local, state, and national preservation projects, participating in historical venues and speaking engagements, hosting tours, and is involved in historical tours across the state.

She is a member of both the state and national Cemetery Preservation Associations, the Gilpin County Historical Society, the national Wild West History Association, and is an honorary lifetime member of the Pikes Peak Heritage Society. As a member of Women Writing the West, Linda has organized quarterly meetings for Colorado members of WWW for the past ten years, served on the 2014 and 2020 WWW conference steering committees, and recently concluded her term as a board member. Linda is the chair for the Women Writing the West DOWNING Journalism Award, an award category she created for the organization in 2017.

Linda Has received numerous awards for her writing including a three-time recipient of the Will Rogers Medallion Award – Best Biography, Ann Bassett and Growing Up With the Wild Bunch, and Best Non-fiction for Ranching Women of Colorado. She has received the Six-Shooter Award twice for her magazine articles, Confidentially Told in Brown’s Park and In the Shadow of Tom Horn.

Pricing

Free for museum members, $10 non-members

Membership

Membership pays for itself with just a few programs for your family. Join us.

More Golden history

Check out the Golden History Museum & Park blog for the latest behind the scenes videos and stories, personal memoirs, and history tidbits about Golden.

Fire Master Class with Aaron “Hutch” Hutchings 

In Hutch’s Own Words

“Whether adventuring in the outdoors or enjoying a book about adventuring in the outdoors, fire always comes up. In fact, it has been said that fire is directly related to every other survival priority. Not just survival but most outdoor adventures are enhanced with safe, effective fires. It helps regulate core body temperature, boils water for purifying, cooks food, signals for rescue, makes tools, scares away the bumps in the night, and so much more. This is also one of the areas that I see most people struggle with, especially if they do not have the perfect situations and resources. There is a great deal to learn and master with fire, including basic principles about tinder, ignition tools, strategies, and techniques. 

Teaching different methods of fire is without a question one of my favorite subjects. This four-part series will be a culmination of over 30 years of professionally teaching pioneer, survival, primitive, boy scout, military, and every other type of fire hack. We will explore both modern and historical ways of making fire as well as looking at safety and dealing with poor fire situations. At the end of this series you will look at fire in a totally different way and will be able to achieve it with a tiny spark, sticks only, modern tools, pioneer tools, wet wood, windy weather, no wood, and more.” 

Photo: Povy Kendal Atchison

Class Details

This will be a true adventure in mastering the art of fire. Anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult. You do not need to attend the whole series, but the classes will build upon one another. There is a discounted price for attending all four classes and supplies are include in class price.

Promo Video

About Hutch

Aaron “Hutch” Hutchings is a Colorado native, veteran, and father of four. He was raised in the Rocky Mountains by a real mountain man and hunting guide he called Grandpa. His love for adventure was first sparked by his grandfather’s teaching and stories. This spark was blown into flame in the Boy Scouts and fanned to a full-on bonfire in the Marine Corps. Read more about Hutch in his instructor bio or on his website. You can also find him on Facebook and Instagram.    

Time and Location

Golden History Park

9 a.m. to noon

Pricing

Single class: $35 for museum members, $50 non-members

Series of all four classes: $115 for museum members, $175 non-members

Membership

Membership pays for itself with just a few programs for your family. Join us.

More Golden History

Check out the Golden History Museum & Park blog for the latest behind the scenes videos and stories, personal memoirs, and history tidbits about Golden.