Helen J. Stewart: First Lady of Las Vegas

Known as the mistress of the Mormon Trail, Helen J. Stewart not only paved the way for women in the west, but also was instrumental in laying the groundwork for the future of Las Vegas.

Born in the Midwest in the mid-1800s, uprooted and transplanted as a young girl into California, Helen J. Stewart experienced the rigors of pioneer life early. Married at nineteen, mother at twenty, widow at thirty with four children and pregnant with her fifth, she had no time to ponder her fate. Instead, sh...