Baxter Springs news., 1918-05-10
ONLY WOMAN IN
THIS DISTRICT.
Mrs. M. e. TOwnley Tenderly
Raised Southern Woman, Is
Mining Operator In Dis
trict
BY Frank Hills in Record Herald

BY Frank Hills IN hecoru-neraiu
The Miami mining district boasts
of the only woman mine president II
this section of the country, II not In
the world.
Mrs. NJ. E. TOwnley, president Of
the Miami Giant Mining company
operating several leases in the dis
trict among which is the Black Jack
located on Spring River, east of Sun
nyside, which is being operated with
hand jigs.
Mr.. Hills in making his round OF
the field, called at the Black Jack and
injured for the Super" He was in
formed that the man desired was not
at the mine but that the president OF
the company was in the ground and
would soon be out, so he decided TO
wait.
The gong rang and the cable be-
gan to wind up and as the can made
its appearance at the top Of the shaft
imagine the surprise of the visitor on
beholding the vision of a beautiful
smiling young woman, standing on
the top of the can with one hand
clinging to the cable and the other
trying to gather up a lot Of refrac-
tory wavy brown hair that seemed de-
termined to blindfold her.
The can stopped, dropped back q
foot OF two and the extraordinary
passenger stepped lightly to the
ground, when the visitor recognized
her as the stately person he had seen
at q desk in the office of the Miami
Giant at Miami, listed on the station
ary of the company as plain M. f.
Townley, president.
When questioned as to her reason
for doing work so foreign to women
as q rule the only woman mine oper-
ator "clammed" at first but on find
ing that the story would be publish
ed on observation if not facts she al
lowed herself to be interviewed under
protest.
Mrs. Townley, while in appearance
a Westerner, able to cope with the
world from any angle, came from
Southern aristocratic stock and was
raised with all of the foolish whims
about it being n disgrace for woman
to work until she was grown, never
so much as looked after her own
wardrobe depending on darky help
for every chore and is the only woman
member of the family who has ever
earned dollar.
Six years ago Mrs. Townley found
herself in Texas, where boom towns
were springing up and as she was
widow with child to rear, she con-
ceived the idea of launching out IN
the real estate game which she die
with such success that she carried
on operations in that line in several
towns in Texas and California, final
" being lured to the great Miami
fields, to try her hand at handling
leases and at last being drawn into
the real mining business to be made
president of company on account
of her ability as an operator, by the
other members, all of which are men.
The president of the Miami Giant
while a lady of refinement and cui-
ture, is a "shirt-sleeve" operator in
the field, going into the ground in
her own mine or any other where she
may learn something that will be q
benefit to her or her company, mud
having no terror to her and has been
found to be wonderfully practical IN
her business affairs.
There is only one subject Mrs
Townley will converse on freely with
a newspaper man and that is her son.
q fifteen-year-old lad who has been
educated in q military school up to
this year, is in a business college at
present and will be sent to school
of mines as soon as he finishes the
business course.
The Miami field is noted for many
things, not the least being its prac-
tical women, many of whom are in
terested in the brokerage business
handling leases and real estate with
skill equal to the men. One woman
is a practical driller but Mrs. Town
ley is the first who has succeeded IN
being elected president of a mining
company.