Martha Maxwell

Who was Martha Maxwell?

Martha Maxwell was a self-educated naturalist and artist born in Pennsylvania. who traveled to the Colorado Territory with the first wave of the Pike's Peak Gold Rush in 1860. She helped found modern taxidermy. Martha was the first woman to collect and prepare her own skins and mounts, teaching herself from books after her husband James Maxwell refused, fearing she would do a better job than him because women were considered better with their hands. She discovered Otus asio maxwelliae as well as a number of other species not previously known to live in the Colorado Territory. She represented Colorado at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. Martha Maxwell was also a vegetarian throughout her life.