How women revolutionized marriage and found freedom on the American frontier
I stumbled upon this book by April White (2022) and I was intrigued by it since I had never encountered an author that looked to dig up the history behind Sioux Falls divorce colony.
Set in the American West, the divorce rush that took place in South Dakota territory in the 19th century (especially attracting socialites from the East Coast) was caused by lax residency requirements that would grant divorce faster than other states.
The Cataract House Hotel became a staple in divorce seeker's diets, a place that proved a haven at first and a press target later. The hotel's fame expanded nationwide, attracting people from many states. Even though the divorce laws in Sioux Falls benefitted both men and women, the book focuses on women's experiences through accounts and records.
"Though married women had secured the right to own property only a generation earlier and the right to vote was still a distant dream, these divorcees collectively forced the issue into the national conversation, into the country's churches, its courts, its legislatures, and its pinnacle of power: the White House".
The divorce colony became either a symbol of the right to choose for some, or the seed of evil for those against it. The question at the time revolved around divorce being a sign of decay of family life or a rising of ideals?
The country became interested in the debate on whether Congress should have the power to regulate over marriage and divorce, if marriage should be governed by contract law and not the laws of the church.
April White takes us through the perspectives of an era, and how these shaped the lives of four women: Margaret De Stuers, Mary Nevins Blaine, Blanche Molineux and Flora Bigelow Dodge. As we rescue their stories from history, we come to understand how the core of the American family was shaken for future generations.
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