“The Women Who Saved History”
“The Women Who Saved History” is a monthly 30-60 minute podcast focused on telling the stories of the many women who have dedicated their lives to preserving the history of the Silver State. Currently, there have been 20 women throughout the state that we have identified, including eight deceased women. Many of our historical institutions are the outcome of their work. Acknowledging these women has long been overdue. We are excited to celebrate them and their accomplishments with our first podcast series.
This program is funded in part with support from Nevada Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities. In addition, we thank Caesar's Entertainment for their sponsorship of this podcast series. Without these sponsors support, this podcast would not be possible.
“The Women Who Saved History”
Jeanne Wier’s Trailblazing Legacy of Preserving Nevada’s History
During this episode, we celebrate the legacy of Jeanne Wier in preserving Nevada’s history. Joining us to unpack her impact on chronicling Nevada’s history is Su Kim Chung, Head of Special Collections and Archives Public Services at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Interviewing her is Claytee White, a Women of Diversity Productions Inc Board Director. Join us as we explore the long-lasting impact of Jeanne’s foundational work at the Nevada Historical Society for over 46 years and the early experiences that first ignited her passion for it. Join us as we dissect Jeanne’s personal and academic journey, her friendship and eventual enmity with feminist figure Anne Martin, and her work of pioneering the Historical Society as a labor of love. Jeanne’s work has been pivotal to all kinds of research today. Don’t miss this deep-dive into her lasting impact in Nevada and beyond.
Key Points From This Episode:
- Our guest, Su Kim Chung, offers background on historical figure, Jeanne Wier.
- Jeanne’s academic journey at Stanford as a history student and professor.
- Her friendship and eventual enmity with feminist figure Anne Martin.
- Anne Martin’s work to get suffrage passed in America.
- What was required of Jeanne to start the Historical Society as a labor of love.
- Her famous trip to Las Vegas and beyond in the summer of 1908.
- Why this work was important to the Historical Society and the people of Nevada.
- Su’s path to choosing to study Jeanne Wier’s work.
- How Jeanne’s work laid the foundation for the writing of Russell Elliott and others.
- Challenges Jeanne would have faced as a woman researching and travelling.
- Surprises Su encountered in her research: Jeanne did this work without being paid for it.
- How Jeanne went about extracting the information that constitutes our history.
- The relevance of her legacy for all types of research.
- Her love of Nevada as an ‘adopted child’ of the State.
- Quotes that demonstrate her experience and her sense of humor.
- What we can learn from Jeanne’s incredible work as librarians and archivists.
- Su Kim Chung’s projection for releasing her book in 2026.
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
