Dangberg park in Minden hosting Chautauqua of Annie H. Martin

Chautauquan Cindy Southerland will portray “Annie H. Martin: The First Woman to Head a U.S. Treasury Facility, the Assay Office at Carson City” at the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 29.

Born in Missouri in 1857, Annie Hudnall Martin moved to Carson City, Nevada Territory in 1863. Martin’s mother died six days after giving birth. Her Uncle Charles Martin, who served as Deputy Secretary of State under Orion Clemens, and his wife adopted Annie Martin and raised her as their own daughter. She attended public schools and was a pupil of, and later a teacher for, Hannah Clapp.

Unlike the Anne H. Martin of woman’s suffrage fame, Annie Hudnall Martin was decidedly anti-suffrage.

In 1877 Martin was the first kindergarten teacher in the state. After 13 years of teaching, she purchased the Carson Daily News and served as editor for four years.

In 1908 Annie Martin secured a job as a clerk at the U.S. Branch Federal Assay Office, formerly the Mint, in Carson City.

Then in 1921, President Warren G. Harding appointed Martin as the first woman to serve as Superintendent of a U.S. Federal Assay Office.

In addition to performing as a Chautauquan, Cindy Southerland is an historian and the author of the book Cemeteries of Carson City and Carson Valley.

“It is a natural for Cindy Southerland to branch out into the art form of Chautauqua. She is an enthusiastic and dedicated researcher who loves to share the history she uncovers,” said the park’s events manager, Kim Harris.

This event is part of the park’s Dangberg Summer Festival and is sponsored by Douglas County, Carson Valley Accounting, Full Circle Soils and Compost, Allied Sanitation Services, Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce, Minden Fortnightly Club and the Frances C. and William P. Smallwood Foundation. This event is also made possible with the assistance of Nevada Humanities, an independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The cost for the Chautauqua event is $5 for adults, free for members and for 16 years and younger.

The Dangberg ranch house will be open for one hour before the event for anyone who would like an introduction to the Dangberg family history and the park’s artifact collection.

This an outdoor event, and visitors should bring their own seating. Please no dogs, legitimate service animals only. The park is located at 1450 Highway 88, 1/4 mile north of the Carson Valley Veterinary Hospital.