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The Summerland Museum & Archives Society is celebrating some of Summerland's fearless females, sharing the history of a few pioneering women and the establishment of the Summerland Women's Institute.
One of the major local pioneers who's talked about often by the museum is Mary Spencer.
Mary and her sister Isobel Spencer came to Summerland in 1909 from Kamloops.
According to the museum, Mary was a professional photographer and ran her own successful photography business.
"In May 1906, Mary was hired by the Vancouver Daily Province to cover the capture and trial of train bandit Bill Miner and his gang, increasing her reputation as a photojournalist. She managed to obtain a series of images of the capture of the gang, even being allowed to photograph the gang during initial questioning and in the courtroom," the museum wrote in their post.
Mary was the only woman allowed in the courtroom during the trial and her mug shots of Bill Miner, William "Shorty" Dunn, and Louis Colquhuon were also published in the local newspaper, the Kamloops Standard.
But Mary never received credit for her photos. After moving to Summerland, Mary and Isobel had a stone house built on Quinpool Road and became independent fruit ranchers.
In the same year the Spencers arrived in Summerland, the Summerland Women's Institute was established.
The museum said it was described by the Government Organiser of Women's Institutes, Miss Laura Rose, as "A splendid lot of ladies" and as "a wide-awake community, eager to take advantage of anything that would be to their benefit."
The photo above was taken in August 1914 at the closing meeting of Okanagan District W.I. members and guests from Peachland and Penticton sitting on the front steps of the Mens Club of the Methodist Church.
With a listed population of only 800 in Summerland in 1908, the museum said it is highly likely that the Spencer sisters would have known this organization of ladies.
In 1913. a second Women's Institute chapter, West Summerland Women's Institute, was incorporated into the community.
The two chapters worked alongside each other for many years in their mission to "promote social intercourse, mutual helpfulness, and the diffusion of knowledge" in Summerland, according to the museum.
The Summerland Museum & Archives Society shares photos and information from their archives every week for throwback Thursday on their social media, which can be found online here.
