Adventurers and Explorers
Bell was a climber, explorer, archaeologist, and diplomat, all impressive accomplishments for a woman in the early twentieth century. She was a key part of crafting the post-World War 1 Ottoman Empire into states easily controlled by Britain. She also established the Baghdad Archaeological Museum.
Gertrude Bell
Dr. Finney is a cultural geographer who wrote the book Black Faces, White Spaces. She works on emphasizing the relationship between African Americans and environmentalism and encouraging African Americans to explore the outdoors.
Carolyn Finney
A very controversial figure, Malintzin, often known as “La Malinche” or “Doña Marina”, was a enslaved Nahua woman who served as Hernán Cortés’ interpreter during the Spanish conquest of Aztec (Mexica) Expire. On one hand, a traitor to her people; on the other, a woman who did what she needed to survive and could never have anticipated the long-term consequences of the conquistadors. Either way, she was a key figure in the Spanish conquest of Mexico, something with deep and enduring effects to this day.
Malintzin
Ching Shih was an 18th century female Chinese pirate who dominated the South China Sea. She commanded approximately 80,000 pirates, far more than the legendary Blackbeard. Never defeated by large governments, she retired to her own island of gambling.
Ching Shih
Ada Blackjack was an Inupiat woman who survived for two years on Wrangel Island. The only survivor of her arctic expedition, Blackjack was only supposed to serve as the expedition’s seamstress and aimed to earn enough money to reunite with her son. Rescue came a year later than intended, but Ada was doing rather well and was happily reunited with her son.
Ada Blackjack
Not only the first woman to hike the entire Appalachian Trail alone, she accomplished the feat at the age of 67 in 1955. She came to be known as “Grandma Gatewood” by the public and was also a survivor of domestic violence. She hiked and explored the USA up until her death.
Emma Gatewood
Hodges was the first female ranger in Yosemite National Park. She loved Yosemite and taught in the Yosemite Valley School, and applied to be a park ranger at the end of WW1. She did not remain with the NPS for very long, but she stayed in the Yosemite area, ranching and guiding groups.
Clare Marie Hodges
She was a pants-wearing, mountain-climbing rebel. Peck placed a “Votes for Women” flag at the peak of Mount Coropuna, which she climbed at age 61. She was on the first expedition to climb the north peak of Huascarán in 1908.
Annie Smith Peck
Bly was a daring adventurer and journalist, best known for going undercover in an asylum to report on conditions for the mentally ill and for traveling around the world in a record 72 days, inspired by Around the World in 80 Days. Bly also held patents for a type of milk can and a stacking garbage can.
Nellie Bly
The founder of the Girl Scouts, she was passionate about girls having the opportunity to grow and develop outside of the home. Always curious and adventurous, Juliette founded the Girl Scouts in 1912. From the first troop, the girls in Girl Scouts were diverse, as Juliette believed it important for girls of all walks of life to have the opportunity to grow and develop leadership.
Juliette Gordon Low
An early conservationist, Murie campaigned for the protection of the Arctic Wildlife Refuge. She was a lifelong conservationist and came to be known as the “grandmother of the Conservation Movement." Her and her husband’s ranch in Wyoming has been a center for conservationists since the ‘40s.
Margaret Murie
She was the first European woman to cross the Trans-Himalayas during winter to reach the forbidden city of Lhasa. At the time, Tibet was closed to outsiders due to fear of British and Russian encroachment, but David-Néel and her adopted son snuck in and remained in the country from 1918 to 1925. She became one of the most prolific Western scholars of Eastern religion and philosophy in her time.
Alexandra David-Néel
Marinel de Jesus
Anderson, with her husband, founded REI, a Seattle-based outdoor retailer. They founded what was originally a co-op to bring high-quality European outdoor gear to the United States at affordable prices. Mary left a legacy of passion for the outdoors and made appreciating them more affordable for Americans.
Mary Anderson