174:, becoming the first woman in the state of Montana to edit a daily newspaper. In October 1895, Martha married her business manager Theodore Plassmann, and sold the newspaper on his advice. Plassmann died a few months later, leaving Martha with little means of financial support. She took on a variety of business ventures, including writing poetry and running a cattle ranch. She also took on a job selling life insurance, becoming one of the first women in Montana to work in the field of insurance.
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In early 1895, alongside other local people, Martha formed the
Political Equality Club, which gathered over a thousand signatures—approximately half of which were from men—supporting the right for women's suffrage. This in part led to a suffrage bill being passed by over two-thirds in the Montana
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Sponsored by the
Montana Historical Society, the Martha Plassmann Prize is a $ 500 cash award and a certificate from the Montana Historical Society. The prize will be awarded to one well-researched National History Day entry by a Montana student or team that utilizes the digitized newspapers
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and the
Montana News Association, basing many pieces on her own experiences or from interviews with other Montana pioneers. She continued writing until her death in September 1936, aged eighty-six.
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magazine. When a fire razed her ranch house to the ground, she suffered thousands of dollars in property loss, but with help of neighbours, was able to rebuild a large log home.
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As a pioneer for women's suffrage, socialism and taking on roles in the male dominated fields of newspaper editorship, Plassmann is now celebrated as part of
330:"Mrs. Martha Edgerton Rolfe Plassmann." Great Falls Daily Leader, October 23, 1895, 2 (originally published in the Anaconda Standard, October 22, 1895).
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Soon after the bill was defeated, Herbert died of typhoid, meaning that Martha was widowed with seven children. Martha took over as sole editor of the
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in
Montana. Martha's autobiography and over 500 articles written by her have been brought together as the Martha Edgerton Plassmann papers in the
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Women of the West; a series of biographical sketches of living eminent women in the eleven western states of the United States of
America
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free speech fight. In
November 1916, two years after Montana introduced equal suffrage, Martha wrote to her daughter Helen:
216:"This is a red letter day for me—I went to the polls in an auto and cast my first vote for President of the United States."
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467:
Robison, Ken. "'A red letter day': Woman's
Suffrage in Montana." Best of Great Falls, Winter, 2015.
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503:"Climbing Mountains in Skirts: Dorothy Eck, Martha Edgerton Rolfe Plassman and Mildred Walker"
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In 1920, Martha moved back to Great Falls, and began writing historical articles for both the
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to allow her children to attend university, she began writing socialist articles for the
146:, she met and married Herbert P. Rolfe. In 1876, the couple moved to Helena, and then to
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After reading socialist material at the
Monarch railway station, Martha became a
311:"About The Great Falls leader. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1888-1900"
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Edgerton; May 14, 1850 – September 25, 1936) was a feminist and socialist from
198:, and the first female member of the Monarch Socialist Party. After moving to
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422:"Proud Missoula Socialist Dies - Martha Edgerton Plassmann - 1936"
397:"Martha Edgerton Rolfe Plassmann: A Montana Renaissance Woman"
478:"Celebrate Amazing Women with the Montana Historical Society"
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210:, Lewis Duncan, and participated in a minor way in the
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While teaching at the Ohio
Institute for the Blind in
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After moving from Great Falls to a small ranch near
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252:Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers
341:"An Earnest Appeal to the Women of Great Falls"
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153:After moving to Great Falls, Herbert began the
290:"Martha Edgerton Plassmann papers, 1863-1939"
206:, worked in the office of socialist mayor of
163:House later that year, although it was later
159:newspaper, for which Martha became a writer.
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16:American feminist and socialist (1850–1936)
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185:, Martha wrote verses which she sold to
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254:or on the website Montana Newspapers.
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250:available, either on the web site
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584:People from Great Falls, Montana
367:"Early Suffrage in Great Falls"
137:Territorial Governor of Montana
114:Martha Edgerton Rolfe Plassmann
23:Martha Edgerton Rolfe Plassmann
532:Montana Official State Website
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482:Powder River Examiner Website
528:"The Martha Plassmann Prize"
131:in 1850, the first child of
579:People from Tallmadge, Ohio
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371:Great Falls History Museum
245:The Martha Plassmann Prize
239:Montana Historical Society
594:Women in Montana politics
443:"Mrs Plassman Goes Wrong"
574:Suffragists from Montana
401:Women's History Matters
447:The Dailey Missoulian
271:Binheim, Max (1928).
235:Women's History Month
183:Little Belt Mountains
167:in the state Senate.
65:Great Falls, Montana
345:Great Falls Tribune
223:Great Falls Tribune
75:Herbert Percy Rolfe
589:Montana socialists
559:American feminists
172:Great Falls Leader
156:Great Falls Leader
57:September 25, 1936
188:Good Housekeeping
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127:She was born in
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449:. 1 August 1917
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133:Sidney Edgerton
129:Tallmadge, Ohio
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47:Tallmadge, Ohio
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535:. Retrieved
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212:Missoula IWW
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135:, the first
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86:Mary Pauline
59:(1936-09-25)
43:May 14, 1850
569:1936 deaths
564:1850 births
512:12 February
507:Livelytimes
487:12 February
453:13 February
376:13 February
351:13 February
241:libraries.
148:Great Falls
553:Categories
537:2 February
427:2 February
406:2 February
316:2 February
295:2 February
258:References
204:Missoulian
95:Lucia Ione
89:Harriet L.
39:1850-05-14
196:socialist
150:in 1884.
200:Missoula
144:Columbus
98:Edgerton
92:Helen M.
80:Children
181:in the
179:Monarch
122:Montana
229:Legacy
165:tabled
124:, US.
104:Hester
72:Spouse
208:Butte
101:Edith
539:2021
514:2021
489:2021
455:2021
429:2021
408:2021
378:2021
353:2021
318:2021
297:2021
54:Died
29:Born
118:née
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
