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Chronicling America is a searchable digital collection of historic newspaper pages through 1963 sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.
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Also, see the Directory of U.S. Newspapers in American Libraries, a searchable index to newspapers published in the United States since 1690, which helps researchers identify what titles exist for a specific place and time, and how to access them.
"Saloon-wrecker" Carrie Nation barrels through Kansas bars wielding a hatchet in the name of temperance. Run out and beaten by locals, Nation lands in thirteen jails across the state but stubbornly continues her violent assault of saloons. In 1903, she lays down her hatchet and continues her work more peacefully, traveling the country to lecture in support of the temperance movement until her death in 1911. Read more about it!
The information in this guide focuses on primary source materials found in the digitized historic newspapers from the digital collection Chronicling America.
The timeline below highlights important dates related to this topic and a section of this guide provides some suggested search strategies for further research in the collection.
| May 31, 1900 | Carrie Nation destroys stock at various saloons in Kiowa, KS. |
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| December 27, 1900 | Carrie Nation is jailed for smashing a nude painting and mirror in a Wichita saloon. |
| February 9, 1901 | One thousand people greet Carrie arriving in Des Moines, IA for her temperance lecture tour. |
| February 18, 1901 | Carrie's followers and temperance groups are reported to be active around the state of Kansas. |
| October 16, 1902 | Following confrontation with the owner, Carrie is physically thrown from saloon in Austin, TX. |
| March 1, 1903 | Carrie states she now uses bible instead of hatchet to fight for her cause. |
| April 7, 1903 | Carrie visits Salt Lake City, UT and sells hatchet trinkets as souvenirs. |
| January 22, 1908 | Carrie voices support for the right of women to vote. |
| June 9, 1911 | Carrie Nation dies in a Leavenworth, KS sanatorium. |
