Women of the Old West

What was life like for women and girls in the Old West? That’s the question posed by “Beautiful Daring Western Girls,” an afternoon camp next week for fourth- and fifth-graders at the Autry Museum of Western Heritage.

Boys and girls will meet rodeo riders, see artifacts from the museum’s permanent collection, including Western women’s letters and diaries, learn about staking out a homestead and make soap, candles and toys as women did in the Old West.

The program, part of Autry Adventurers Summer Camp, runs Monday through Friday from 1 to 4 p.m.

“They’ll see, and partly get to do, the different kinds of work women did on a ranch or homestead, or when participating in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show,” said Irene Rodriguez, the museum’s education programs manager.

Each session will have a theme, including women in Wild West shows, pioneer women, homesteaders and Native American and African American women in the West.

“From the first to the last day of camp, they will keep a diary of their experiences,” Rodriguez said. “They’ll learn some of the games that were played by girls and family groups, and that quilt-making was a social activity.”

Children also can be photographed in Western gear, a suitable addition to the diary they will keep to remember their week in the Old West.

BE THERE

“Beautiful Daring Western Girls” summer camp program, Monday-Friday from 1-4 p.m. at the Autry Museum of Western Heritage, 470 Heritage Way, Griffith Park. Fee: $60 for members, $70 for nonmembers. Reservations required. Call (323) 667-2000.

COWGIRLS.2, above, and COWGIRLS.3, left