Suffrage Special

The Suffrage Special, also known as the "flying squadron" left Washington, D.C., and toured the Western states by train for 38 days starting on April 9, 1916.

[2] The suffragists wanted the women who were allowed to vote in their home states to support the national amendment.

Abby Scott Baker, Alva Belmont, Harriet Stanton Blatch, Lucy Burns, Florence Bayard Hilles and Inez Milholland were famous at the time.

[15] Before the Suffrage Special left Washington, D.C., there was a farewell luncheon with speakers and music held at the headquarters for the Congressional Union.

[17] Around five thousand supporters saw the train off and a brass band played "Onward Christian Soldiers" as they began their journey.

[22] There was a public reception at the Chicago Art Institute that evening and the next day, Governor Edward Fitzsimmons Dunne met with the suffragists in the name of the state of Illinois.

[25] There was a night meeting in Wichita and on April 14, the Suffrage Special stopped at Newton, Hutchinson, Emporia and Dodge City, Kansas.

[33] The train arrived in Phoenix, Arizona, on April 21, where Dr. Marian Walker Williams welcomed them at a luncheon at the Adams Hotel.

[35] Clara Shortridge Foltz met them at the station with a dozen women and took the group to the Alexandria Hotel for a reception.

[35] Women in Los Angeles were not excited about the mission of the delegates and were not overly supportive of the formation of another party.

[36] The train left Los Angeles on April 24 making a short stop in Santa Barbara.

[39] On April 27, the Suffrage Special arrived in Carson City, Nevada, where they were met by Governor Emmet D.

[41] The train stopped in Sacramento in the morning on April 28, during which time the delegates attended a luncheon which included 1,500 invitees.

[43] The delegates left with several cases of loganberry juice and continued in the morning of April 30 to Portland, Oregon.

[44] The delegates were met at the train depot, taken on a trip in the city and gave speeches, ending the first day with a mass meeting.

[44] In Seattle, Lucy Burns was treated to an airplane ride where she scattered leaflets over the city from the air.

[19] Afterwards, they drove through the business district and went on to the city's auditorium for speeches, rallying the women to support a national suffrage amendment.

[54] The next day, a business session was held at Hotel Utah and farewell demonstrations at Pioneer Park followed in the afternoon.

[54] On May 14, the train stopped for three hours in St. Joseph, Missouri for dinner and a meeting at the Scottish Rite Cathedral.

[57] Three hundred schoolgirls dressed in white "formed aisles up the broad, impressive steps of the Capitol as the delegates marched in with their petitions.

[59] Women who had been chosen at the Woman Voter Conference in Salt Lake City accompanied the original envoys.

[60][61] Spokie, or Spokane, the adopted stray dog who accompanied the delegates went with Helen Todd to New York after the trip.