Martha Maxwell traveled to Colorado Territory with the first wave of the Pike's Peak Gold Rush in 1860. A self-educated naturalist and artist, she found her passion and life's work quite by accident and contributed to the development of taxidermy and museum display with ideas and techniques that are still used today. The foremost woman natural scientist of the 19th century, Martha was one of the first women to collect and prepare her own skins and mounts. She spent nearly eight continuous years in the field in the Rocky Mountains, documenting the presence of species previously not known to live there. Martha is the first woman to have a subspecies that she herself discovered named after her - otus asio maxwelliae - Maxwell's owl. In 1876, she represented Colorado at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. A true trail blazer, Martha Maxwell's inspiring journey is one of passion and determination. Presented by Mary Jane Bradbury. As actress, speaker and educator for over 20 years, Mary Jane Bradbury has always been drawn to the natural world. She finds Martha's resolute determination to pursue her love of science at a time when women were considered to have no aptitude for it inspiring.