Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Women of Grit: Business Owners at the PMMP


Ford Hotel - Location of Mary Lee's Ford Hotel Restaurant
Arizona Memory Project
 

In the 1800s, women were often limited to a narrow set of occupational roles which included teacher, servant, housekeeper, Sunday School instructor, or professions like saloon girl or madame. However, with the settling of the West, more opportunities developed for women, and many could start and own their own businesses.   

Here at the PMMP lie remarkable women who defied the norms of their day. 

🍨 Caroline Goodhue ran an ice cream shop
🍽️ Mary A. Lee operated her own restaurant
🍸 Edna Laziola kept a saloon
🖼️ Mary Florence Mann offered private lessons as an art teacher
🛠️ Saloma Newland owned and mined her own claims throughout Arizona

We also honor two of our cemetery owners.  Lulu Porter owned Porter Cemetery.  She sold and managed plots of land from it for burials.  Hortense Peery owned a large portion of Rosedale Cemetery, while in her late teens, no doubt, from California.

These women weren’t just business owners. They were barrier breakers, paving the way for generations to come.

Stay tuned for more stories about these entrepreneurs! 

 


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