Abstract In 1909, a group of mountaineers climbed Mount Rainier during the Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition and placed a “Votes for Women” pennant at the mountain summit. I argue that their ascent of Mount Rainier exploited meanings of mountaineering and the wilderness for woman suffrage: mountaineering as a symbol of imperial power, the mountain wilderness as the new mythic frontier, and walking in the western wilderness as an enactment of freedom. The imperialist meaning of mountaineering constituted woman suffragists as powerful, victorious, and capable of winning their upcoming suffrage campaign. Climbing the new frontier demonstrated that the women were physically strong enough to participate in turn-of-the-century politics and invoked the meritocratic logic of the frontier myth that suggested these women had earned their right to vote through their labor on the mountain. Walking in the western wilderness performed the climbers’ freedom to walk, think, and vote for themselves and to resist society’s gendered restrictions. Their climb invoked the ideologies of imperialism, the frontier myth, and freedom to appeal to the citizens of the Pacific Northwest for voting rights and to gain more publicity for their cause, yet it simultaneously had a rhetorical impact on the climbers themselves. By appropriating the rhetorics of mountaineering and the wilderness, they motivated and increased the morale of suffragists in the midst of a struggling movement and positioned their male companions as suffrage advocates.

[1] Perhaps some of you came here tonight hoping to learn something of the state that would send a woman to Congress; you may have the impression that there is something rather unusual about a state that will select a woman to be its representative in national affairs.[2] I will put you at ease at once by assuring you that Montana is unusual.[3] I am very proud of my native state. I remember when I was a small child going into town from the ranch with my mother. When we went into the store, the storekeeper greeted my mother with the news that Montana had been admitted into the Union. I remember being quite impressed with the idea that we then lived in a state. I am still thrilled by the consciousness that I live in Montana, that Montana belongs to me and I to Montana.[4] However, I hope my pride is not such that will blind me to its many shortcomings. But I trust that it is the kind of pride that will enable me to see its imperfections and spur me on to lend my services toward developing a civilization that is worthy of the great advantage given us in our natural resources, in our vastness, and in our people.[5] At first one thinks of Montana as a mineral state, perhaps because the first settlers came in with the discovery of gold or it may be because we are surpassed by only one state in the production of silver and by another in the production of copper. We produce lead and zinc and have an abundance of coal. We have precious gems, sapphires and rubies. The development of the mining industries have been so rapid and so startling that we were quite dazzled by it and forgot that the other more modest resources were even more valuable.[6] Our forests of douglas fir, western yellow pine and western larch are as beautiful as they are valuable. We have a stand of living timber of merchantable size estimated at thirty-three billion board feet.[7] When Lewis and Clark journeyed up the Missouri river on their way to the coast as the explorers of the Northwest Territory, they encountered insurmountable obstacles in what the Indians call The Great Falls. They were forced to carry their boats twenty miles over land. One of these falls they named the Black Eagle Falls in memory of the Black Eagle they saw hovering over the water. I often wonder what Lewis and Clark would think if they could see the waters of these falls being used to produce thousands of electrical horsepower and could know it was carried over the mountains starting 3,200 feet above sea level going up 5,000 feet higher and then down 2,000 feet traveling 152 miles to the destination where it turns the wheels of machinery and lights the passages of mines thousands of feet underground in one of the biggest mining camps in the world.[8] Some of the reports of my election in the Eastern papers said that I campaigned on horseback. To us, campaigning on horseback is very commonplace. We are amazed and delighted that we can reach almost every point by train or automobile. I traveled 6,000 miles by train and over 1,500 miles by automobile, but I wonder if any candidate in any other state could ride 500 miles through the mountains on an electrified train. The last Saturday night in the Primary, I spoke at Roundup, then went to bed in a comfortable sleeper and arrived at my home 380 miles distant in time for Sunday dinner.[9] Not only do we have electrified railroads, but many women have electrified kitchens. It is the unusual small town which does not boast of electricity. While we have the water power developed to the extent of two hundred thousand electrical horsepower, we have made only a beginning. We have water power enough in our state to cook every meal that is eaten, to do the hard work and heat every home if it were developed and used for the people, besides using it for the industrial purpose we generally associate with electricity.[10] But just as we are beginning to appreciate the possibilities of our water power and electricity we are discovering that we have natural gas in great quantities. Last winter was one of the severest winters we have had for many and the in the town of in the of the state for they the one had to up in the to not even the The are on the gas hundred miles in to it in their It is such a discovery and been at such distant that one even as to the possibilities of But with these the natural is the just the used for We have We have as as the state of or as are with these as Some you will have to toward the last the to so and the is the one is the that to the Last Montana enough to of for every woman and child in the hundred thousand Our of is to that of and put The of and in the and Montana the for the of at the with the idea and with the reports that Montana almost one and a as many of to the as the in the Our to the work of women as as The on the in is by a woman on of and almost of to the We for our we small and I have said of the water power is of resources, we have only made a to of we have two national The where we the into a with of Montana is because of the They from from every state in the from every in the I was in the first of the of the were from every for news and have that for every the to of I have in on in other there been a woman to native state. many such so there is of one one of the the and another the The the of Some came were Some women are there because their came and they could not be but of because they had an abundance of and and could see the in a they had that could not be in an and more and for more that they They came with their and with a to the and the that are to It been that the and women so in a The still have a very of the which women have Some can remember the women the see in the mining camps or on the in the and in the They have the women to the and the are to the One of our women at a said that that a came into and you remember at and am I do to memory a woman one to to the and to a went up the and through the over the down the other the river and the on to the town mining camps had traveled miles on horseback night was The woman the The I am I you were for the and so I I would up and you I am for have been by such but in there is women will not through to such miles may not very to us but it was a way one of my in the last a woman came up to me to that had miles to the and going that woman I came miles in a and miles in a is a miles in an and I am going I could many of the women on our the women came to their and developed We are so the beginning of We have so many in rapid that something us with hope and We are for in living in of in in We being the When I went to and that it would be an to be the first state in that of the to woman one me that they were the first state to the and they to be first in One very of that in the and been a for its The was one had the to from The for were about for the was not enough of a in the of the to a there was more I have you of some of our I will to be and you of our Our are about and with their the last of the of the is We have that our other natural resources are in the of a our water and our the more is by two and small We in other and that the is of their the we that the that the resources of our state are the the resources of the other they the resources of the and they are into other We have our with by in the state and by We have given our almost forced on for Montana had the of the which of thousands of of to the not because of the of but because many of our are made for the and of a We had when the could a for when with The was when the could over to the or the and a ranch for But from the on the ranch we have to the traveling on the these in we the of the of We of in and of of the industries that are of the state because we While the are in and they are very in and there were thousands of of The of the is not of and are very We are beginning to have we have We have of Perhaps not our of but they are We have our our is into the of and is then to the is for a ride on the train and so Our is of Our were from the where it was a to to we have the When our in and are we will still have these and women are to be and be for as When we have once for the of other will be for some way of our we are of a in the We are beginning to that the people, of the our only We can remember the which we saw with our of land. perhaps the the great of and been by the and a of which it in But the of can be It is of and national we the with our of production in such have we to the of it to have so and these the of the for a in their will be we have in in in if we are to have The first be through the they can for It is to the but it is not so The is the great of the We appreciate that the can the While there is to from an and a and of and may the for a However, we learn by our The from in are that to a more in the of to the of The is the by which we into and its been its the time that the of have been we have developed the that from the to the and the in these been the of The the the they or would their the the was given the power to for for and to be the from in of for the of work is and and the is a in into with the of the the time have had the their been for women I have it to be with to appreciate they have been Not only the many of had a a their but the of can boast of the only a I would have more I very it is to the of I was made of when an in of my to one of my to think even the When I the I was of for but in one is of so many it is to The women of are still to their and that they have to It is hard to about such a with the of on there is for the women to to think or to work for their they have the the and the that with the they have The women of have the of or not they were to their for they had of but when was it was However, then the of have given their women and will not be The women have the for the that in then they have it because they are women and have a to They have it because they are to a in be not only at the by and but in and in our national and the of are the will be to with the of our When we for a in the that in many the very of the we are not of what the have in the but we are to be to do our It is not to the to do their work and work and it is work to for the We a great about but are we we that we of we the through which the of the are made other have we the and for It to me that one of the of our civilization is When we that it is only that we have and we see and that the of their to have a still but there can be is an of the of we would have we the of is the of the We to the child an One may be in developing a higher of by a and more in through the will when they have been to The is an of and the are to the in and in or which have to do with the are going to be in when they know these are to They will see that every that in the in the or in the to do or with the They will for the when they appreciate that the is an in their which may be to their is over the can its not even the in the very what to be the of the When I went into was very that I to about woman but at first that was the in the state, and in the I if were a me I you that their just from the of the I about the their the I was very and the and the the is the of the the to have their perhaps the that will be in our national when a woman can be not only by the of women the by the of women and by the of are that the of our be I to that there is for the women to think to or to work for they have their they have the the and the that with the they have state the to for where a of the people, the do not a is not that is if we are to have a in We have the machinery by which the may be One of the and that we have in Montana is the by which a may of where is on election While Montana is a state does not us from traveling The last two election I and women in every town had their in other I a from a small town in which of a to the woman on a the carried a which for for for and to put Montana home is in was the winter in but not with using an the first every and every other was forced to be on election had the as at We have a that been of great to the on election It the of in any even the of to the is and any on election the election of the candidate for it is carried The is in the of the by that the of or for and the the of the and they are for the of in be so However, only a beginning been made a One that will the and be to the candidate it the One that will a of and an of our of is which was will be is the kind of a the is to be the machinery be such that will have a in the of the The more that is the we will to the of the Montana had a for the was to for their The of Montana are that they are of their We know we would have a in if we had a for the last for we one hundred and thousand and had only with only thousand had one in had over the of a in is even more in the just the of and just two and the of so a in the of a in be for on the of the for with the of as of and with in the thousand a state with the of only thousand at the election of would the of the that a and one one Montana a which a in in I that the in of the is but can that it are generally of or are the of some I do not for but Our that may with the of or of to for any on any the candidate may a of the on which to be and a to be on the the candidate or have in a of the and the to a of the in the last The with the The be a is by the state and to every may in in which to their and the candidate for the for the in the is to by the of the They that it is is by the that the do not for While the is for the candidate the work in the by the candidate in the may to are The to the state of two is from a the However, there are of It to me that any which does not the for a of is for any to the other any which will the to a to the will in The of some in the of by the is many thousand it was with the the is to for the great advantage that it the of the of the on the there is way to the of the for will be The will learn by its and it will learn to the more and more We have that the in our state to for on of the are some in every state an election if they had the of a and if the that they had the candidate on being could not by an these are the a great about the not into the for will into to their to the it to Our that the of the be on the was great that the would for the first two there being two at came I that I to the of Montana every time I think of I they would for the first two on the and The for our can The first two about thousand the the the thousand and the thousand the two were and the thousand The and the last were with the a that the on the is of small Some the in so that will an of at the but where the can One of our that is an over the in some is that it does not the to is given the of the At our last there were in the the in the to then was to one in the and two in the The of there being a on the of one to select a candidate in the is for there would be a time when there would be on the state or there was in the for the state on the the was so that which are for for state their there were for great advantage in the is the of being in the that are by the I I will by our last While Montana been state in the the for very in the last there were only two in the came for the candidate for and was a and a went to the women and said was a but to stand for came in first with the of for and a of the by an I came for state and national and for it from the I thousand and the candidate for had the the the so when we for purpose the were in of a forced the to put a in their the are with will that was rather a It was the of the that made such a It the to that the to to were of a of and were to their a there is to the for a there will be for will the to select by the and and they will to do it will have a to the more the of the of the people, the have the of the to the extent of for the of their the would be to some by which they over their they be or The is the which the of have used to the in the other western by While Montana been so to such a we the of it very The a by which the can the they have when or It is on the idea that an is a and can be at any The of the is more the of to the to an the is by the the can at any time so have the to the of a the are the and the is a to a from The machinery of the is very the of a are with they can by and a for from election is and at election the is a candidate and are in the The been in in the enough to its to a of the by its are It is a the very of which the of its only very it been The one the It the from to a or in that it in the power of the other it the from in of the the It a small of from and an when is the of the I of an where a of the town was by a of They to up in to The of the to be They have the if you the The not to the with their for they it was the the as an of the our for the and have The had a very on or the or by a is not in any way by the of the but it may be very through the and the and a by a of It in the of and a may be the or the other the is a any or of may a for a and when they have the of a of they may have it to the at for their or the by the may be carried to the for their going into The the the power over The of such be by the or of from the quite from the great of it is to the it in the to a of their of of are to the people, and the of a is on to the of a of the for through It a and a by the for and an for and development is One of the and been that of more to the of the When it is that by the can be by the in a or that can be if the to the the more and with they would if they there was from the of the Our are to the They their and to the of the so that their will not be through the of and The machinery by which the is by some of the of The is generally by a of are in its the which would the in the the work with a of which a of and in a an be by the work with a consciousness of the that if the is to the of the it be to the the may be not to for a in is that that will or will generally to the The first the is is to the of a of to that there is in a for the of such a as is in the a of for as the the for it is and many of the western the is by a by the state and to every not election the of the and the as it will on the with the and of the as by the and of the an to the and not only the of a into the but it a these of an is to the and an is for the development of and women are with rather with and are to their to the every a to such as to be for the and that the will to a call for when it is by a is by the of our in The a to in Montana was being by a of one of which was in of the with a The other of the were to that they the time to it The was given of the and of the would a and so on and at and a and it with the It is a of the Montana and more one election for the people, and is It would be to in a by the and a by machinery in the of is enough in the to the lead in the and not only a more in the with to but it about a more the and the have been in the of the there is a of their and an to work their It is the of Montana, and to a or the of every state, to work a of by which the power is in the as a and is by or by by I have to point some that to the more power in and even to the extent of the to the which been to the However, the great of work be by and we have that even with the and as a our are still not representative of the We are to the that the in any of the power that been but it rather in the of the of to in their idea of to its is the of the by the When we our we in many of of the by a of the people, a of in of the to the of the for the The of the election of the the the and the the of the had been in the as a of that would have to the and the of the would have and the of the to the the one and the and the still a of in to of the of of in that been in our my is the point in the of representative as and that a of the are my as an I have been by the are about in my and they have been there for the last any more hope of a representative on the of of one in the of Great in been by the of the of so that every in the state may a of or as the may The is that the state is in by from the or the the in is would be the even where are not for our to of the of the is to lead to the to in a of been which that be in the of its to the in a state which for of that of or would be to one every candidate is of and every is to one representative for a of the would be to of to as the with more or been in for some in and The of the in these been the of for the of a in and the The of is an of idea in and is with It is being and and as an of a representative The in are The of and the of the of the of and the of and are to The machinery and the work their if they are to be made to I have some of the to the in the to their of a But in is not We have in as is by the do the that the of the of and of the produce is to be It is by that the of are to be and to be not only by the of and it to of it which is but another kind of is a we into I it as a of what is that we may have in The more we reach in the more will we the time when we will a with the for and with the for

Abstract In 1917, Jeannette Rankin became the United States’ first female member of Congress. This is a critical edition of the speech Rankin gave before 3,000 people in New York City on her way to be sworn in to office. Her speech promoted her home state of Montana, woman suffrage, and direct democracy.

Abstract As Seattle’s mayor in 1926, Bertha Landes made history as the first woman elected to lead a large city in the United States. To respond to the complicated demands of female political leadership in the early twentieth century American West, Landes pragmatically appealed to expectations of both public men and domestic women by making arguments from both sameness and difference. Using a rhetoric of municipal housekeeping to justify her entrance into political office, Landes paradoxically asserted beliefs about the difference between men and women in leadership, while simultaneously suggesting her political service did not differ from a mans. Although her municipal housekeeping arguments essentialized women as moral and different, they also assisted her entrance into politics and attested to women’s suitability for political leadership. She simultaneously employed a rhetoric of Western masculinity and sameness that reified masculine conceptions of political leadership, and suggested that womens roles in the nation functioned similarly to mens roles, thus expanding the role of women in politics beyond exclusively municipal housekeepers. This analysis not only illustrates the use of sameness and difference arguments in elective office, but also how they oxymoronically functioned together.