More Than Petticoats: Remarkable Washington Women

More than Petticoats: Remarkable Washington Women is a fascinating book for anyone even remotely interested in Washington State history. It contains well-written short biographies of sixteen Washington women who lived in the 1800s, some quite famous and some I'd never heard of. Their accomplishments range from being elected the first female mayor of a major American city, to being the first woman to climb to the summit of Mt. Rainier, to founding hospitals and school districts, to receiving the first doctoral degree awarded to a black woman in any subject. This book contains the delightful stories of Thea Foss, who started the Foss Launch Company with the purchase of a single rowboat for $5, and "Klondike Kate", whose eventful life took her north to the Yukon and south to California. As a native Washingtonian, I enjoyed reading about places I know and learning more about them. Maybe the best part was that I found I'd actually known the son of one of these remarkable women!