The Zuni Olla Maidens are an all-women’s group renowned for their skill and ability to balance fragile water jars or ollas on their heads. Historically, Zuni women collected water in ollas from nearby springs for everyday use. Today, they perform in parades and community events, walking with water jars placed on their heads while singing their own compositions and those traditionally sung by Zuni men.
Roadside Marker Location: Pueblo of Zuni; McKinley County, US Hwy 53, Mile Marker 17
You can view a county by county list of the Historic Women Mile Markers in this pdf.
(Side 1) Four Sisters of Loretto, Mother Magdalen Hayden and Sisters Roberta Brown, Rosana Dant and Catherine Mahoney, arrived in Santa Fe from Kentucky on September 26, 1852. In January 1853 they established Our Lady of Light Academy, later known as Loretto, the first school for young women in the Territory of New Mexico. (Side 2) Between 1863 and 1879 the Sisters with the help of local people raised funds to build the Loretto Chapel. During the next century, hundreds of women, many of them of Hispanic heritage joined, joined the Sisters of Loretto. Lucia Perea became the first native-born New Mexican superior at Loretto, Santa Fe in 1896.
Roadside Marker Location: Santa Fe County, Alameda Street city of Santa Fe
You can view a county by county list of the Historic Women Mile Markers in this pdf.
Lea County Cowgirls: Dessie Sawyer (1897–1990) and Fern Sawyer (1917–1993)
Dessie Sawyer was a rancher, philanthropist and political activist. Her work with community and charitable organizations advanced her into politics. She became the National Committee Woman of New Mexico’s Democratic Party. Her advocacy of the western way of life was recognized by her induction into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 1981. Dessie’s daughter, Fern Sawyer, became a celebrity cowgirl. She was the first woman to win the National Cutting Horse world title. She also became the first woman appointed to the State Fair Commission and the State Racing Commission. She was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 1976.
Roadside Marker Location: Lea County, US Hwy 380, Mile Marker 231.1
You can view a county by county list of the Historic Women Mile Markers in this pdf.
Mary Ann Deming Crocker (1829-1889) “Namesake of Deming”
Born in 1827, Mary Ann Deming was married to Charles Crocker, one of the founders of the Central Pacific Railroad. A “silver spike” was driven here in 1881 that commemorated connecting the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe railroads, and signaled completion of the nation’s second transcontinental railroad. The new settlement was christened Deming in Mary’s honor for her generosity and benevolence to many charitable causes for the poor.
Roadside Marker Location: Luna County, US Hwy 180
You can view a county by county list of the Historic Women Mile Markers in this pdf.
Women of Shakespeare: Emma Marble Muir (1873–1959), Rita Wells Hill (1901–1985), Janaloo Hill Hough (1939–2005)
Emma Marble Muir arrived at the mining town of Shakespeare in 1882. She and her daughter, Rita Wells Muir, learned to appreciate and preserve the town’s history. Rita and her husband bought Shakespeare as part of their ranch in 1935. Rita passed the ranch to her daughter, Janaloo Hill Hough. Janaloo and her husband continued fighting for the history and preservation of Shakespeare. Investing their own resources, they rebuilt some of the buildings destroyed by a fire in 1997. Without the dedication of this mother, daughter and granddaughter, the ghost town of Shakespeare would not exist today.
Roadside Marker Location: Hidalgo County, I-10, Mile Marker 20
You can view a county by county list of the Historic Women Mile Markers in this pdf.
A black, alpaca wool jacket with velvet and rick-rack trim around the neckline and along the shoulders, c. 1904-1913. This object represents one type of merchandise sold in a general store on the plaza in Chimayo, NM that was owned by Victor Ortega and later his son, Ben. Victor Ortega was heavily involved in the community. He was also a notary public, a postmaster, participated in the 1st constitutional convention of NM and also acted as the director of the local school and served as a probate judge.
Read more about Victor Ortega in this Spring 2012 El Palacio article titled “Don Victor Ortega.“ NMHM/DCA 11731.45
Katherine was the fourth American woman to earn a pilot’s license and the first female skywriter. She overcame pioneering aviator Max Lillie’s reluctance to teach her to fly, and became the “Flying Schoolgirl,” nicknamed for her youthful looks, small stature, and derring-do. Katherine marveled spectators, rolling her plane, skywriting at night with flares attached to its wings, and maneuvering risky loop-the-loops. With her family she founded the Stinson Aviation Company, designed aircraft, and operated a flight school. She was the first aviatrix to fly the Orient and set a record in 1917 for the longest West Coast solo flight.
Roadside Marker Location: Santa Fe County, US Hwy 284
You can view a county by county list of the Historic Women Mile Markers in this pdf.
“Concha” was a rancher and the first female Majority Whip of a state legislature in the nation. She helped implement legislation for women’s rights, the handicapped, and bilingual education and also championed the arts and Hispanic culture. She served on sixty local and national boards helping to improve the lives of others. Vista Magazine honored her as “Latina of the Century” in 1999.
Oliver LaGrone (1906-1995), younger brother of Hobart LaGrone, is a nationally-recognized artist, educator, and poet. After moving with his family from the Midwest to Albuquerque in the early 1930s, Oliver LaGrone quickly became involved in his community. In 1933, both Oliver and Hobart became members of the first African American Boy Scout troop in Albuquerque. Oliver was also the director and member, along with Hobart, of the Harmony Four, a quartet that regularly sang at the Grant Chapel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, where they were also members with their family.
Oliver LaGrone began his studies at the University of New Mexico, and refined his skills in the fine arts. In 1936, the WPA hired Mr. LaGrone to create a sculpture for the future Carrie Tingley Hospital for Crippled Children in Hot Springs, NM. Upon graduating from UNM in 1938 with a Bachelor of Science degree, Mr. LaGrone met and married Irmah Cooke and moved to Michigan shortly thereafter, though he moved back to Albuquerque briefly in 1977.
Oliver LaGrone continued making sculptures throughout his life, while he worked as a representative for the American Federation of Labor (AF of L) in Detroit’s auto industry, while he worked as a teacher in Detroit public schools, and throughout his tenure as a faculty member at Pennsylvania State University.
Oliver LaGrone was also known for his activism and wrote poetry on Black history, identity, and the fight for civil rights in the United States. His sculptures can be seen at the Albuquerque Museum sculpture garden, the Schomberg Center at the New York Public Library, and Pennsylvania State University, among other locations.