Austin, Mary, 1868-1934

Mary Hunter Austin has variously been identified as a feminist, naturalist, mystic, author, and even "woman of genius." She was one of the leading literary figures of her time, the author of 27 books and more than 250 articles, stories, poems and other short pieces. In 1900, Mary Austin settled in Carmel and became one of the founders of the literary colony. In 1918, Austin traveled to New Mexico, hoping to continue on to Mexico to conduct research on folk traditions. In New Mexico she was contracted by the Carnegie Institution to participate in its Americanization Study. In 1924 she moved to Santa Fe, N.M. She was associated with the Indian Arts Fund and was founder of the Spanish Colonial Arts Society. She fought for such causes as the Court of Domestic Relations, the Community Kitchen, the recognition of Indian rights, Arizona's side in the Boulder Dam fight, as well as for the feminist cause and creative freedom in America.

California and New Mexico poet and story writer. Born Carlinville, Ill, 9 Sept 1868. Wed Stafford W. Austin Bakersfield, Calif 1891. Divorced. Lived and wrote in Santa Fe. Died 14 Aug 1934.

Illinois-born American novelist.

Mary H. Austin was a novelist and a resident of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Mary Hunter Austin has variously been identified as a feminist, naturalist, mystic, author, and even "woman of genius." She was one of the leading literary figures of her time, the author of 27 books and more than 250 articles, stories, poems and other short pieces. In 1900, Mary Austin settled in Carmel, CApool and became one of the founders of the literary colony. In 1918, Austin traveled to New Mexico, hoping to continue on to Mexico to conduct research on folk traditions. In New Mexico she was contracted by the Carnegie Institution to participate in its Americanization Study. In 1924 she moved to Santa Fe, N.M. She was associated with the Indian Arts Fund and was founder of the Spanish Colonial Arts Society. She fought for such causes as the Court of Domestic Relations, the Community Kitchen, the recognition of Indian rights, Arizona's side in the Boulder Dam fight, as well as for the feminist cause and creative freedom in America

American novelist and dramatist.

Mary Hunter was born in Carlinville, Illinois on on September 9, 1868. She came to California in the late 1880s, and married Safford Wallace Austin on May 19, 1891. She and her husband lived in Owens Valley for the next fourteen years and became involved in the local water disputes as she began her writing career. Mary also came in contact with the local Paiute and Shoshone Indians, which influenced her writing. After the water battles were lost, Mary split from her husband, moved to Carmel, and became part of an art and literary circle that included Jack London, Ambrose Bierce, and George Sterling. Mary eventually moved to the Southwest and continued her writing, which incorporated feminist and environmental sensibility, and Native American, Hispanic, and European mythological traditions. She died in Santa Fe, New Mexico on August 13, 1934.

Mary Hunter Austin (1868-1943) was an American novelist, essayist and political activist. She is best known for her portrayals of life in California and New Mexico, and her writings include: Land of little rain (1903), The flock (1906), and her autobiography, Earth horizon (1932).

Austin was a Calif. author.

Novelist and journalist.

Mary Hunter Austin was born Sept. 9, 1868 in Carlinville, IL; she was an American author who published thirty-one books and many short stories, essays, and poems; writings on the American Southwest include The flock (1906), Lost borders (1909), The land of journeys' ending (1924), The land of little rain (1903), and an autobiography titled Earth horizon (1932); died, Aug. 1934.

Carey McWilliams was born Dec. 13, 1905 in Steamboat Springs, CO; J.D., Univ. of Southern CA; attorney, Black, Hammack & McWilliams, Los Angeles, 1927-38; chief of Div. of Immigration and Housing, CA State Gov., 1938-42; contributing editor, assoc. editor, and editorial director, The nation, 1945-55; editor, The nation, 1955-1975; some of his books include: Ambrose Bierce, a biography (1929), Factories in the field : the story of migratory farm labor in California (1939), Ill fares the land : migrants and migratory labor in the United States (1942), Brothers under the skin (1943); Prejudice: Japanese-Americans, symbol of racial intolerance (1944), Southern California country : an island on the land (1946), A mask for privilege: anti-semitism in America (1948), The education of Carey McWilliams (1979); died of cancer, June 27, 1980 in New York, NY.

Mary Austin. Part of the T.M. Pearce Pictorial Collection PICT 000-255 (Box 2, Folder 19).

Mary Hunter Austin was born September 9, 1868 in Carlinville, Illinois to George and Susanna Hunter. She died on August 13, 1934 in Santa Fe, New Mexico after a lingering illness and heart attack. She has variously been identified as a feminist, naturalist, mystic, author, and even "woman of genius." She was in fact, one of the leading literary figures of her time, the author of 27 books and more than 250 articles, stories, poems and other short pieces.

In 1888, after her graduation from Blackburn College and the death of her father, the family moved to a ranch near Bakersfield, California. She married Stafford Austin, a rancher and teacher, in 1891, and settled in Lone Pine, Inyo county. Here began her lifelong fascination with the desert. It is also here that she became acquainted with Indian lore and Mexicano history and culture that would drive her research in New Mexico.

In 1900, four years after separating from her husband, Mary Austin settled in Carmel, California. With Jack London, George Sterling, and Harry Leon Wilson, she helped to found the now famous colony of artists. Following the success of her first book, The Land of Little Rain, Austin traveled abroad where she met such luminary figures as Joseph Conrad, H. G. Wells, Isidora Duncan, and William Butler Yeats.

In 1918, Austin traveled to New Mexico, hoping to continue on to Mexico to conduct research on folk traditions. In New Mexico she was contracted by the Carnegie Institution to participate in its Americanization Study. By 1924 she had decided to move to Santa Fe and in 1925 she had her home, Casa Querida built. Among her many acquaintances and friends in New Mexico were Mabel and Tony Luhan, Gerald and Ina Sizer Cassidy, William Penhallow Henderson and Alice Corbin Henderson, Frank and Alta Applegate, Sylvanus Morley, and Edgar Lee Hewett, people of creative and intellectual achievement. Mary Austin was enamored with the pageantry of the Indian dance-drama, the Spanish fiesta, the open rituals of the church, and picturesque survivals soon to be revivals. She was associated with the Indian Arts Fund and was a founder of the Spanish Colonial Arts Society. She fought for such causes as the Court of Domestic Relations, the Community Kitchen, the recognition of Indian rights, Arizona's side in the Boulder Dam fight, as well as for the feminist cause and creative freedom in America.

Biography

Mary Hunter Austin was born September 9, 1868 in Carlinville, Illinois; she was an American author who published thirty-one books and many short stories, essays, and poems; writings on the American Southwest include The Flock (1906), Lost Borders (1909), The Land of Journeys' Ending (1924), The Land of Little Rain (1903), and an autobiography titled Earth Horizon (1932); died, August 1934.

Carey McWilliams was born December 13, 1905 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado; J.D., University of Southern California; attorney, Black, Hammack & McWilliams, Los Angeles, 1927-38; chief of Division of Immigration and Housing, California State Governor, 1938-42; contributing editor, associate editor, and editorial director, The Nation, 1945-55; editor, The Nation, 1955-1975; some of his books include: Ambrose Bierce, a Biography (1929), Factories in the Field: The Story of Migratory Farm Labor in California (1939), Ill Fares the Land: Migrants And Migratory Labor In The United States (1942), Brothers Under the Skin (1943); Prejudice: Japanese-Americans, Symbol of Racial Intolerance (1944), Southern California Country: An Island on the Land (1946), A Mask for Privilege: Anti-Semitism in America (1948), The Education of Carey McWilliams (1979); died of cancer, June 27, 1980 in New York, New York.