IRON WOMEN: THE LADIES WHO HELPED BUILD THE RAILROAD by Chris Enss will be published on February 1st, 2021 by Two Dot Books.
In IRON WOMEN, Chris Enss focuses on women’s contributions to the railroads during the 1800s and early 1900s. Men might have physically built the railroads, but women made lasting contributions and helped inspire travel. Enss covers female telegraphers, the Harvey Girls, and women who created the refrigerated boxcars, designed more comfortable passenger cars, promoted westward travel through artwork or written pieces, and an architect who built some of the Harvey Houses and the tourist sites at the Grand Canyon. Some of the women Enss focused on were a bit out in left field—including famous train robber Laura Bullion, a prostitute who was murdered and later had a train car named after her, and Lily Langtry who had a specially made train car for her travels throughout the United States.
While an interesting read, I didn’t feel as if the book really had much focus on the railroad.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.