Mark Jensen, the curator at the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park, shared with an eager library audience, the Adventures of Fritzi Dangberg, a Nevada Gal.

Have you ever learned of someone and so regretted that you never had the chance to meet that person? That's how I feel about Fritzi. This is a photo (ca 1942) of her holding the German Shepherd puppies she raised and contributed to the Dogs for Defense program in World War II. How very cool!
Since moving to Tahoe, we have been huge fans of this historic home in Carson Valley. To learn more about its more colorful and exceptional resident was a huge treat.
The Dangbergs held on to a great deal of their possessions and thankfully, they are still in the home (which is open for touring in the summer and so well worth the effort). Mark shared with us Fritzi's travel documents and souvenirs. These incredible artifacts gave us a glimpse into making the most of life in the first half of the 20th century.
Fritzi was not your typical rancher’s daughter. Born in 1907, her family was one of the most influential in Nevada’s Carson Valley, with a stake in several businesses and a livestock ranch that included tens of thousands of acres and animals. Her family’s prosperity made life comfortable and gave Fritzi many opportunities: college, travel and notable friends. While her heart was always at the ranch, her mind and spirit were ready to conquer the world.

This gal was educated at UC Berkeley, earning a degree in Philosophy in 1926. Can you imagine the fun she had, at college, having grown up in isolated Minden, NV?
Sadly, Fritzi Dangberg died in 1946, at the age of 38, from breast cancer. I can only imagine the even greater legacy she would have left behind had she had a longer life. She was a mover and a shaker. What a gal!