We’re the lead story in the Ohio Historical Society’s Newsletter January issue
Your Tax Return Can Make History
In 1955, 67-year-old Emma “Grandma” Gatewood hiked the 2,168-mile Appalachian Trail — the first woman ever to hike the entire trail solo.
A native of Gallipolis, Ohio, Gatewood had lived through the Depression and raised 11 children in an abusive marriage. Years after she’d divorced her husband and her children were grown, Gatewood read a story about the Appalachian Trail in National Geographic that noted that only five men had hiked the entire trail by themselves, and that no woman had. It spurred her to grab her sneakers and strike out for the trail.
A Symbol for Overcoming Adversity
After conquering the Appalachian Trail, she hiked it two more times, hiked the Oregon Trail and helped found the Buckeye Trail in Ohio. From age 67 until her death, she hiked more than 10,000 miles and became a symbol for overcoming adversity to achieve the seemingly impossible. To honor her achievements, in 2012 the Ohio General Assembly declared April 27 as “Emma ‘Grandma’ Gatewood Day.”
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