Pioneering Women and Early Government Leaders

Nellie Cashman

29-cent Nellie Cashman mini sheet stamp
The Nellie Cashman stamp was issued in 1994.

Nellie Cashman (ca. 1850-1925) - “The Angel of Tombstone” - embodied the adventurous spirit of the West. She emigrated to the U.S. from Ireland in the 1860s and moved West. She earned an honest reputation managing her boarding house in Nevada. When a scurvy epidemic broke out in British Columbia, she organized men to carry supplies through the deep snow to the sick, and nursed them back to health. Afterwards, Nellie moved to Tombstone, Arizona, where she opened the first female-owned business. She was a prominent citizen, promoting social welfare and the arts. When Nellie died, newspapers across the country recognized her good works.