Many women of the American West engaged in unpaid servitude and sacrifice- but for some, the West afforded a light of freedom and equality. Taking the Reins offers two such examples. Katherine Caroline Wilkins was born in 1857 in the Oregon Territory, the daughter of fortune-seeking pioneers. She parlayed 40 dollars into a fortune and became one ofthe most successful horse sellers in the United States. The show also features a contemporary of Wilkins, May Arkwright Hutton. Born poor i n Ohio and abandoned by her parents, Hutton would become one of the richest women in the American West. Hutton ran a boarding house in the Wallace area while also investing in mines, including the Hercules, which turned out to be on top of a huge silver vein. Hutton and her husband used their newfound wealth to help many people and causes.