This program tells the true stories of five women of guts and gusto who were part of the Western Expansion in the 1800s: a wagon train pioneer, a homesteader, a mail order bride, a professional gambler, and an actress of the 1850s. Their stories are explored through diary excerpts, newspaper clippings, historical accounts of their lives, and photographs of the women and artifacts of the time. Combined, the stories of these intrepid pioneers provide a look at some of the tough, resourceful, ambitious, and determined women whose spirit and sense of adventure helped put the shine in the golden American West.
