Texas just may be the state in the Union with the strongest masculine 
image. Our heroes, from cowboys to the Alamo to Stephen F. Austin 
and Sam Houston, have always been men. But there have also always 
been women with gumption.

    The Texas women in these pages have made history in a variety of 
ways—some outrageous, some inventive, most courageous. They 
have been crusaders, sports stars, outlaws, entrepreneurs and business 
leaders, ranchers and cowgirls, philanthropists, artists—and often, 
characters. They lived outside convention and caught public attention 
to one degree or another. For some, their greatest accomplishments 
and most unusual adventures came after they left Texas, but they are 
still bound to and influenced by a Texas heritage.

    They're here on these pages—the women you know about, from 
Emily Morgan (the supposed Yellow Rose of Texas) to Ann 
Richards and Lady Bird Johnson. But there are also some you may 
not know, like Pamelia Mann, who stood up to Sam Houston, and 
Ninnie Baird who started a chain of bakeries by first selling her 
homemade bread to neighbors. Read and enjoy!

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JUDY ALTER is the author of numerous books, fiction and nonfiction, 
for adults and young adults. She has a particular interest in the lives 
of women in Texas and the American West. She lives in Fort Worth.


Texas Small Books