"In an environment dominated by men and constantly threatened by natural disasters and crime, how did women become the leading promoters and supporters of public education in America's 19th Century West? With deft scholarship and accessible writing. Herbst elucidates what allowed and brought a group of Colorado women to establish their place as wives and mothers in their homes and at the same time become successful and recognized leaders in their community, Women Pioneers of Public Education portrays their incessant struggle to lead public education over a period of thirty years, from its beginning in the early 1870s, to its triumphant victory when the Silverton school sent it first high school class into the world. This book is a strong contribution to the literature of the history of education and demonstrates that educational developments cannot be meaningfully described and fully understood unless shown in the context of the economic, social and political events in a given community."--Jacket.