Nevada State Parks invites the public to Mormon Station State Historic Park at 10am July 31 to hear a free presentation on “Women’s Voices on the Overland Trail.”

The 45-minute presentation will feature stories from women’s diaries and reminiscences of early pioneers who traveled westward on the trail. These accounts, which pay special attention to the landscape, Native Americans and the danger and promise of the journey, provide a vivid account of pioneer life and illustrate how women pioneers often formed the backbone and inspiration for the long, arduous western journeys of 19th-century emigrants.

Doris Dwyer will give the presentation. Dwyer is a professor of history at Western Nevada College whose research focuses on women pioneers of the nineteenth century American West. She is also nationally known for her Chautauqua portrayals of remarkable women from this period. Her appearance is made possible by the Nevada Humanities Committee, the National Endowment for the Humanities and NV Energy.

Bring a blanket, lawn chairs and meet in the shaded stockade area of Mormon Station State Historic Park. After the presentation, enjoy a picnic lunch in the park and tour the log-cabin museum and see relics from early pioneers. A $1 entry fee applies. Children 12 and under are free.

Mormon Station State Historic Park is located in Genoa, a 20 minute drive from Carson City via Highway 395 and a 20 minute drive from South Lake Tahoe via Kingsbury Grade.

For more detailed directions, call the park at (775) 782.2590.