Hombre & Women Prospectors

I have multiple deadlines to make this month and I’m going out of town to see my brother. Looks like I’ll be at the computer night and day until the job is done. Somewhere along the way I hope to watch the western Hombre again. It’s one of my favorite westerns. The 1967 film starring Paul Newman, Richard Boone, and Diane Cilento has some great dialogue. Here’s a sample: “What are you doing here?” “Going bad, honey.” Landlady Jessie (Diane Cilento) and outlaw Frank Braden (Cameron Mitchell). “Any time a man weasels out on you, turns out that he’s doing you a favor.” Landlady Jessie (Diane Cilento). “And if you want to know if I’m carrying a gun, I’m not. My tongue is my only weapon, Mr. Grimes.” “And it’s deadly.” Landlady Jessie (Diane Cilento) to outlaw Cicero Grimes (Richard Boone). The excerpt the month on this site is A Beautiful Mine: Women Prospectors of the Old West. Contrary to popular belief, there were a number of lady prospectors in the hills, streams, and burrows of the west trying to find their fortune. According to a San Francisco in 1877, women were diligent hard-rock miners. The law would not allow any women under the age of 21 to work underground, but they could stake out claims for themselves and pan for gold alongside the men in the creek beds in Coloma, California, Leadville, Colorado, and Skagway, Alaska. In 1910, women were allowed to freely work in a gold or silver mines for major corporations. Their pay was substantially less than what a man got paid for the same work. Women earned $.30 an hour and a man made $.80 an hour. I’m not a feminist, but that seem really wrong. I saw the head of NOW – National Organization of Women – saying that women still only make 70 cents on the dollar to every man. I’m not sure I’m going to believe that. Women are notoriously bad at math. But seriously…I’ve got to get on with the next writing project.