According to historian Frederick Jackson Turner in his famous "Frontier Thesis" (1893), the frontier experience was the most significant development in United States history. Yet, all the frontier "types" he discussed in his thesis were settler men: fur traders, miners, cattle raisers, and farmers. Women, both settlers and Indigenous, were absent in Turner's analysis. Using as a case study the Midwest during its frontier period (approximately 1780-1870), this presentation will place women at the center of the frontier story. While focusing primarily on settler women, the presentation will also note the experiences of Indigenous women in the region.

Katherine Jellison is Professor Emerita of History at Ohio University. Her most recent books are Amish Women in the Great Depression (with Steven D. Reschly, 2023); Ohio’s First Ladies: From the Midwest to the White House (editor, 2026); and Gender and Sexuality in the Midwest: Historical Perspectives (editor, 2027).

This event is sponsored by the Washington County Library, is FREE and open to the public, and will be livestreamed/recorded on our YouTube Channel @CampusMartiusMuseum.