Newspaper Writing

One of many columns written on important women in U.S. History. Publication, Ms.Adventure is no longer publishing.

Sarah Rosetta Wakeman
by Julie Shea

"For my part I am ready at a minute’s warning to go into the field of battle and take my stand with the rest.” – Sarah Rosetta Wakeman in a letter to her family in 1863, during her first year of service in the Civil War Army. She wasn’t alone – it’s estimated 400 women left their homes and society’s expectations, disguised themselves as men, and illegally joined the army.

Why? Some women wanted to remain close to husbands, sons or brothers. Some went for the adventure, patriotism or financial gain.

Rosetta was the oldest of nine children born to a farmer and his wife in upstate New York in 1843. By the time Rosetta was 19, her family’s farm suffered serious financial problems. Rosetta left her home to get a job, hoping to make some money for her family and escape some family discord.

Realizing, as most women did in those days, jobs available to women (ex. seamstress) wouldn’t allow her to support herself, let alone her family. Rosetta decided to disguise herself as a man, since doing so would easily double or triple the money she could make. When she learned of the money to be made in the army, Rosetta signed up under an assumed male name, Lyons Wakeman.

This wasn’t as difficult a task as one might imagine. In the 1800’s, women wore floor length dresses and men wore pants. People easily assumed if the person wore pants, the person was male. If a man was interested in joining, he needed only to show up at the recruiting location and give a handshake. A woman’s more delicate features wouldn’t be given much thought, as many of the male recruits were young men barely into puberty.

Due to the modesty of the day and outdoor living conditions, women could easily go off to take care of hygiene issues in private. Even when soldiers were instructed to “strip down,” it actually meant, “strip down to your long underwear.” With loose fitting clothes and their breasts taped down, even in long underwear, women remained unnoticed. They often learned about being men right along with the young boys and were soon able to perform with the same efficiency as the men.

Rosetta spent most of her military service on guard duty in New York, but she saw battle when her and her comrades marched to Louisiana. Details can be found in An Uncommon Soldier1.

Did they get caught? Many women made it through the entire war without being discovered (although it was a constant fear) and a few women continued to live as men after the war!

A few female soldiers were caught when they had babies. More women were discovered when killed, injured or ill and needing hospital care. But even in the hospital, detection wasn’t guaranteed. Little was known about how to treat illness and disease, so bed rest was prescribed more often than not with little physical examination.

Rosetta became ill with chronic diarrhea and was admitted to the hospital in spring of 1864. If doctors and nurses discovered she was a woman, they never let on. She died on June 19, 1864, two years into her military service and was given a full military funeral and buried in Chalmette National Cemetery in New Orleans. It seems her gender was never discovered by anyone but her family until her letters turned up in a descendant’s attic.

Rosetta and the other female soldiers made a contribution not in what they did on the battlefield, but in demonstrating to the world that women could be just as effective as men.

Research material: Lauren Cook Burgess. An Uncommon Soldier. Pasadena, Maryland: The Minerva Center, 1994.




The following is a front page article from Ms.Adventure.

It’s the Rodeo Life for Me!
by Julie Shea


Horse and rider form a single unit, rounding the barrels as quickly as possible. The horse’s muscles ripple and bulge. The rider guides the animal’s power in tight circles and quick sprints. The fastest pair wins.

“My favorite part of the rodeo is the fans,” says Pam Bound, “I like the support they show rodeo as it is one of the last connections we have with the old west.” This single mother of one is the owner and operator of Showtime Arena LLC, a horse show and boarding facility in Deerfield, Wisconsin. “I was raised around rodeo. My family put on rodeos for years in Madison and round the Midwest.”

“My favorite part is the challenge of being the best you can be, both competitively and socially,” adds Jolene Jones, owner of JJSBS Website Design (her two grown daughters work with her), “You see many of the same people each weekend and develop great friendships along the way.” Jones and her husband, Jason, operate a 400-acre farm of crops, beef and horses as well as host events at the JJ Arena.

Both women are barrel racers and do quite well. Jones won over $8,000 in 2002, the Wisconsin Girls Barrel Racing Association Championship and two saddles. She also qualified that year for the Wisconsin Rodeo Finals and the United Rodeo Association Finals. Lately, she’s been sticking closer to home and working on her web site business, but is anxious to get back on the rodeo trail.

Bound hasn’t competed as much lately as she would like, but came in second place last year at the State NBHA Championships (out of 242 horses) and won the Wisconsin Barrel Blitz Match Race.

Women? In the rodeo? You bet! But it hasn’t always been that way. The Women’s Professional Rodeo Association, founded in Texas in 1948, intended to “add a little color and femininity to the rough and tumble sport of rodeo.” Now, they boast over 2,000 members, barrel racing in 800 rodeos and prize money totaling $3 million.

In the beginning, barrel racing was the only event women competed in. Today, women are generally found barrel racing, team roping and breakaway roping. Women can, if they wish, compete in bull riding and tie down calf roping in the All Women’s Rodeo, sponsored by the WPRA.

Barrel Racing

When Jones decided to get involved in rodeo, barrel racing was the event she chose because, “Barrel racing looked pretty simple. I had a lot to learn.”

A beam of light across the start/finish line begins and stops a timer as the horse crosses over it. Horse and rider move as quickly as possible around three barrels and back to the finish line.

“A half a second will cost you a paycheck as most barrel racing competitions are just hundreds of a second between winners,” notes Jones.

According to ESPN’s rodeo event descriptions (http://sports.espn.go.com/prorodeo) there are some tricks to barrel racing. If horses tip the barrels, five penalty seconds are added to a rider’s score. The tighter a circle the horse makes around the barrel, the quicker the time, so horse and rider need to work together as a well-oiled machine.

Team Roping

In this event, two riders on horses must work together to rope a steer. The steer is released into the arena – with a head start – followed by the first rider (the header). The header is responsible for roping the steer in one of three ways: around both horns, around one horn and head, or around the neck. Once this is accomplished, the second rider (the heeler) must rope the two hind legs of the steer. If the heeler only catches one leg, a five second penalty is added to the total time. Penalty points are also assessed if the header gets out of the chute too soon and the pair receives no points if the healer misses the legs completely. The fastest time wins.

This might sound easier than it actually is. Practice is essential to success at team roping – each rider gets only one chance to rope the steer.

“[The header] cannot ride up along side the steer and put your rope on his horns or head,” notes Jamie Johnson, a breakaway roping competitor who has been involved in rodeos since she was a kid. The heeler has a challenge as well, “You want the tip of your loop to be right over the hocks of the steer when the steer’s hind legs are up.” Timing is essential.

And, according to ESPN, the size of the horses makes a difference too. Header horses tend to be bigger and heavier so they can maneuver the steer. Heeler horses are more agile so they can react quickly to a steer’s movements.

“Imagine doing all this at a rodeo in 3.7 seconds, the new arena record in Las Vegas,” says Beth Foede, single mother of a 2-year-old, “Imagine doing this in 4.5 to 6 seconds on four consecutive steers at an average roping.” Foede co-owns Cowboy Moon Arena, where they train rope horses and provide roping lessons.

“Some people go out to dinner, dancing, vacation, swimming, boating, but I go roping every chance I get,” says Foede. And she’s been quite successful, winning three saddles and 6 buckles.

Breakaway Roping

The goal of this event is to rope a calf – in about two seconds. The calf is released and given a head start. The horse must quickly get into a position behind the calf so the rider has the best chance of roping the calf’s head. Once the calf is roped, the horse immediately stops and holds his position. The rope is connected to the saddle horn and when the calf pulls the slack out, the rope “breaks away” from the saddle which stops the clock.

It sounds easier than it really is. Johnson says to be successful in breakaway roping, both rider and horse need to be at the top of their game. “You need a horse that can score (stand solid) really good…and you need to be able to get your loop up and thrown as soon as possible to get a fast time.” She goes on to note, “Roping is all about time and being able to react with your gut instinct – what makes any roping event hard is the cattle – that is your variable. Being able to read cattle is important.” Johnson and other ropers practice regularly so they can be ready for any situation that might come up.

Getting involved

For a city girl, the idea of getting a chance to ride in the rodeo may seem about as likely as walking on the moon. In certain areas around the state, kids can learn some rodeo events in high school and college. For kids (ages 5-18), there is the Little Britches Rodeo. See their web site at http://www.nlbra.org/ for more information.

Plenty of stables and organizations can be found on the Internet that offer women training in rodeo events.

“Decide what event(s) you would like to try and then go to a local event and talk to the contestants,” says Jones, “They will know where you can get help in your area.”

“There are several national and state level rodeo associations across the country,” adds Bound, “One is Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (wpra.com).” WPRA’s web site provides mostly competition results and information, but phone numbers and email are available if you would like to ask other questions. Another great web site is www.ehorsehotline.com. This site has information about everything from finding your own horse to event clinics, to competitions.

Come See Them in Action!

“Some of Wisconsin’s famed rodeos are in Manawa over the 4th of July and Spooner the week after,” says Bound.

“Spooner Rodeo is a great rodeo,” exclaims Jones. Check the event information at ehorsehotline.com (and your local newspapers) for all the details on the rodeo excitement coming up this summer.

“Women’s Rodeo History.” URL: http://www.wpra.com/rodeohistory.htm. Date accessed: Jan. 31, 2005.