As part of our America 250 and Colorado 150 history series, we’re talking about people who helped make Greeley what it is today. Since it’s Women’s History Month, let’s look back at two amazing women whose lives made a big difference in our area.
One became famous for fighting rattlesnakes on the plains. The other made history in architecture at a time when almost no women had that job.
Their stories are different, but both women showed strength and independence that helped shape Greeley’s history.
Rattlesnake Kate: The Legend of the Plains
In 1925, Katherine McHale Slaughterback earned a nickname that would follow her for the rest of her life: Rattlesnake Kate.
One day , Kate was riding her horse near Hudson with her young son when she saw a rattlesnake. She shot it with her rifle, but then realized she was surrounded by even more snakes. After she ran out of ammo, she picked up a “No Hunting” sign as her only defense to protect her son. Kate fought the snakes for a long time, killing more than 100 of them before getting back to safety.
Soon, people all over Colorado heard about what happened. Kate even posed for pictures with the long string of rattlesnakes she defeated.
But the story didn’t end there.
Kate used the rattlesnake skins to make a dress, shoes, and belts. Her rattlesnake dress became famous, and you can still see it today at the Greeley History Museum.
Kate was known for living life her own way. She ran her own farm, was good with guns and lived independently, even when people thought women shouldn’t do those things in the early 1900s.
You can read more of her legendary encounter in this article from the Colorado Virtual Library.
Bessie Smith: Greeley’s Early Woman Architect
While Rattlesnake Kate’s story is full of action, Bessie Smith made her mark in a quieter but important way.
Smith grew up in Greeley and became an architect when almost all architects were men. She took classes by mail and became Denver’s only woman architect in the early 1900s.
In 1903, she came back to Greeley and started designing buildings in the community. Smith liked to be very involved in her projects and even climbed around construction sites to check the work herself.
Several buildings in Greeley are connected to her, including the downtown Coronado Building and the White Plumb Farmhouse, which is now called the White Plumb Farm Learning Center.
One of her most famous designs was the Carrel House, built around 1907. Over 100 years later, the house was almost torn down, but people in the community worked together to save it. The house was moved to a new place where it could be fixed up and kept safe.
Even though Smith didn’t work as an architect for very long, her work is an important part of Greeley’s history and shows how women started to enter the field of architecture.
You can read more about the effort to preserve the Bessie Smith house here.
Celebrating Women in Greeley’s History
Rattlesnake Kate and Bessie Smith lived very different lives, but both helped shape Greeley’s story in their own way.
Kate became a symbol of toughness and independence on the Colorado plains, while Smith helped open doors for women in architecture. Their stories remind us that history is not just about big events—it’s also about people who had the courage to do things differently.
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, their legacies continue to inspire the next generation of trailblazers in Greeley and beyond.