Seventeen essays direct attention to the lives and achievements of outstanding women in Nebraska history. Most of the women described in the essays did their major work in literature, the arts, education, or some other related human service. Only two essays are not focused on specific women--"Union Maids in Omaha Labor History,…

Traces the life, education, and accomplishments of Susan LaFlesche Picotte, an Omaha Indian who became a medical doctor, Christian reformer, public health reformer, and political activist. She successfully bridged two cultures, becoming acculturated without totally sacrificing her Indian identity or alienating the Omaha people. (KS)

Daughter of a chief and educated in two cultures, Marguerite LaFlesche Diddock served as an Indian field matron for the Office of Indian Affairs (OIA) from 1896-1900, providing the women of her Omaha community with an accessible Euro-American domestic role model with ties to the tribal past. Her role in OIA's Americanization attempts often caused…