b'but it made a lot of sense; and, it cast a light not oftenThis, of course, is true and, perhaps, there is a shone on Arizona of that era.lesson there to be learned. Maybe the fact that later generations have accorded so much attention to the Did your father drink during prohibition? evil says something about those later generations. Shakespeare had a point when he wrote: The evil Yes. Why? men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones. How many people today, for example, Where did he get his booze? are aware of the fact that there were a good many honorable, clean, decent, single women who came to From a bootlegger, I presume. the West alone and staked out homesteads in their names; built homes on them; worked the land; proved Of course, but did he come home at night, sit downup on the homestead, and had money in the bank at the dinner table, and tell his wife and children allbefore they ever got married? Womens lib? Women about the colorful member of the Al Capone gang orhave always been free! They built a long tradition the mafia or whoever he had met that day? Of courseof courage and independence and foresightedness not. Neither did the decent men of that day repeat toin Arizona. The trouble is its much easier to write their families stories of the bad men and dancehalltitillating tales about the Pearl Harts, the Great girls they might have heard in town. Nor would theirWesterns, and the senoritas from Sonora.wives have welcomed them: the ladies were too busy with the work of raising their families and building aOne of the few single women celebrated in the annals decent community to listen to such things. of Arizona was Tombstones famous Nellie Cashman. Miss Cashman did not stake out a homestead; rather, she provided a home for men too long away from the comforts and solace of a real home. She was known far and wide throughout the West as the miners169 E Wickenburg Wayangel. Nellie Cashman was living proof that wonder can be infected with the same wanderlust that has tooWickenburg, AZ 85390often been thought the exclusive affliction of men.928-684-6123Before she arrived in Arizona, Nellie had traveled and lived in many parts of the West, a true pioneerOpens at 11:00am DAILYbusinesswoman in one of the few legitimate fields then open to women, keeping a boarding house. She had even penetrated British Columbia and the Yukon.A strikingly handsome woman, who was born in Ireland, came to America as a young girl, and eventually found her real place in the roaring town too tough to die. Her house at the corner of Tough Nut and Fifth Streets still stands, an adobe building known as the Russ House.John P Clum, the distinguished Indian agent in Arizona and later a newspaper publisher, knew Nellie Cashman and wrote about her in the Arizona Historical Quarterly of January 1931. Her principal business was to feed the hungry and shelter the homeless and her chief divertissement was to relieve those in distress and to care for the sick and afflicted. She was inclined Sharlot Mabridth Hallto associate more generally with men than members of her own sex; on several occasions she joined inon yT Pmoved to Prescott andstampedes with men, tramping with them over rugged began the task of restoringof their rude camps. Nevertheless, she maintainedehtrails and sharing the vicissitudes and discomforts the old log governorsan unimpeachable reputation, and her character and2nd Hand Storeconduct commanded the universal respect and the mansion there, andadmiration of every camp in which she lived founding a historicalThere was no hospital in Tombstone, so there wereWe Collect & Deliver Your Merchandisemany opportunities for generous, self-sacrificing, museum which is todaywilling hands to help.cases of illness or accidentFREE LOCAL DELIVERY AVAILABLEknown by her name.or pressing need, and we soon found that Nellie662 W. Wickenburg Way was prompt and persistent and effective with plansWickenburgOpen MondaySaturdayfor relief.if she asked for a contributionwethepony2ndhandstore.comcontributed. If she had tickets to sellwe bought tickets. If she needed actors for a playwe928-231-2730928-232-2019volunteered to act. We Carry Quality 2nd Hand As an example, Clum tells of one prospector who fell& New Merchandisedown a shaft and broke both legs. Within two daysYour Home Furniture Supplies StoreNellie had raised $500 for him. She is credited withSpecializing in Appliancesbuilding Tombstones Catholic Church, adding herJane and Peter Kibblegenerous contributions to what she could not raise frompony2ndhandstore@outlook.com others. Nor was it easy for Nellie Cashman and her kind to maintain the unimpeachable reputation mentioned continued on page 22ArizonaRealCountry.com February 2021 21'