Extraordinary Texas Women

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 now 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!