Maria DeGeer was a woman out of step with her time. She defied the female stereotypes of the late 1800s as a very opinionated person, pursuing causes that further advanced women in society and choosing to take control of her own life. It was those characteristics which brought her to Western Kansas where she founded Scott City and it was those same attributes which saw her leave less than a year later when shoved out of her rightful place by male members of the newly organized town company. It was because of DeGeer’s outspoken nature that she refused to let her role in history be forgotten. One hundred and thirty-five years later, she has been further memorialized with a statue on the very spot where she erected the first cabin that would eventually become Scott City.
Source: Scott County Record.
