1920, When The Women Took Over Jackson Wyoming

Let's face it, it's bad enough when the men are in charge. Lord, help us all when the women are in charge. Jackson, Wyoming, found out all about that when the women took over the town council in 1920.

Also known as the "petticoat government," this group won office by a roughly 2-to-1 margin over male candidates during a time when citizens were frustrated by a lack of tax collection and poor public infrastructure.

They served two terms until 1923 and made national news for running one of the earliest entirely female municipal governments in the United States.

According to a 1922 article from The Delineator magazine, there was only $200 in town coffers. That is when the women took office. People owed money and they were going to collect.

The article in the Delineator Magazine reads, "they went out personally and collected every cent due the town from those who ignored the notices. Before the end of a fortnight, there was $2,000 in the treasury."

Hear about it in the video below.

The name Pettecoat Rulers was meant as a dig by the press. But the women wore it like a crown. They loved it; they owned it.

As if there were not enough, get a load of who they elected town marshal. Pearl Williams Hupp, who worked at the town soda fountain, stood at just 5 feet tall and was 22 years old, was appointed as the first female town marshal. That news was such a shock that it made national and international headlines when the newly elected, historic all-female town council.