This entertaining and informative book takes the reader back to the mid-1800's through the turn-of-the-century with profiles of exceptional women like stage-driver Charlotte Charley" Parkhurst, Eleanora Dumont, a gambling lady and Eliza Mott, Nevada's first schoolteacher. From doctor to innkeeper, these heartwarming stories share the rich and often difficult lives of the female pioneers who fought for independence in the male-dominated West. The many old black and white photographs sprinkled throughout the book illuminate each chapter, providing a glimpse of the real women under the petticoats and calluses. With pain and strength etched in their faces, they sit erect as though their spines were made of steel. Each woman was unique — all made a valuable contribution in the taming of the West.