Celebrating International Women’s Day

March 8 is International Women’s, celebrating the contributions and accomplishments of women across the world.

Women have played a critical role in Nevada mining, both historically and today: Maggie Smith Johnson was born into slavery in Louisiana before settling in Nevada at some point in the 1870s. She operated a boarding house near the border of Eureka and Lander County before ultimately owning several mining claims and even operating her own silver mine up until her death in 1924. Belle Butler’s husband, Jim, is historically credited with finding ore in what would become the Tonopah area, but it was her who discovered and staked the claim of the region’s most successful mine, the Mizpah. Dana Bennett broke a glass ceiling in 2015 when she became the first woman to serve as President of the Nevada Mining Association, holding the position until her retirement in 2020.

While there have been several successful and strong women in mining, it hasn’t always been an easy path. Historically, women were shunned from the industry, some states even passing laws prohibiting them from working on site. Fortunately, tired stereotypes and bad laws have died out and the industry is becoming more inclusive. Today, 13% of Nevada mining’s workforce are women, a sign that things have improved but that there is still more work to be done.

Programs across Nevada are helping address the issue. The University of Nevada, Reno hosts an annual Young Women in Engineering Camp, which introduces middle school-aged girls to different varieties of engineering and gives campers the opportunity to speak with women working directly in engineering, including mining. Soroptimist International of Elko hosts their Dream It, Be It Career Support Day for Girls every spring, where Elko County high school girls meet successful professional women and learn how to pursue their dreams with confidence.

Encourage your daughters, sisters, nieces, and the other young women in your life to pursue their goals. Maybe they’ll become the next leader in Nevada mining!