Abby Dotterer

Abby Dotterer, a graduate of Natrona County High School in Casper, is an intern for WyoHistory.org and a student at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She hopes to pursue a career in historical research and writing.

Esther Hobart Morris, appointed justice of the peace in South Pass City in 1870, was the first woman in the nation to hold public office. While she is notable for that and for her longtime advocacy for women’s rights, much of her fame comes from something she almost certainly didn’t do.

In October 1941, the Allies struggled in World War II while daredevil parachutist George Hopkins was stranded on Devils Tower in northeastern Wyoming, pulling public attention away from the war. Expert climbers guided Hopkins down after six days.