Sarah Winnemucca

The Fields of Silver and Gold series brings the past alive. Meet the trailblazers and the pioneers, the first people and the famous explorers, the legends and the everyday heroes that shaped the history, land, and culture of the West. Their powerful stories will fascinate and inspire you.

Advocate. Leader. Author. Thocmetony (or as she came to be known, Sarah Winnemucca) broke race, cultural and gender barriers in the late 1800s to become a champion of the Northern Paiute. As a writer and speaker, scout and interpreter, teacher and peacemaker, she fought against injustice towards native people. Her experiences took her from the foothills of the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains to San Francisco, California, from the reservations in Oregon and Washington to Washington, D.C., where she is commemorated today by a statue in the U.S. Capitol Building.