Women in Mining History
Special Event at Laws - April 8, 2023
Visitors to Laws Museum are sometimes surprised to find a mining exhibit at Laws Railroad Museum & Historical Site. Some might be even more surprised to learn that women prospectors played a role in 19th and early 20th century western mining history. While the 300 plus mile Carson and Colorado Railroad was being built to serve Nevada and California mines, women as well as men caught “gold fever” and crossed continents and oceans to try their hand at prospecting. Some struck it rich, some died in poverty; some deplored the rough life, while others flourished in the clean air, outdoor life, and desert-mountain scenery.
Come to the Laws Railroad Museum & Historical Site on April 8th, 11:00 am to 2:30 pm, and you will meet history docents eager to share biographies of “Old West” women miners: Ellen Nay, who discovered gold in the hills of Nevada; Frances Williams, a physician and miner; and Ferminia Serras (pictured right), who became known as “The Copper Queen” --the town of Mina, Nevada is named for her.