About the Author: CARRIE TOWNLEY PORTER

Carrie Townley Porter, MA, is a teacher of Nevada history, records manager, and historian who has spent decades studying and writing about Helen Stewart — as well as appearing as the “First Lady of Las Vegas” at Chautauqua events.

Carrie has a B.A. in Mathematics and History from Nevada Southern University (now University of Nevada, Las Vegas) and a M.A. in History and Archeology from University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Carrie has authored three books including S-S Ranch and the Lower Truckee and served as a contributing author to two other books. Carrie’s writings have also appeared in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Desert Churchman, and the Nevada Historical Society Quarterly.

Aside from her writings, Carrie has been an active member of the Nevada Women’s History Project where she served as Co-Chair on the Sarah Winnemuca Statue Project. Under her efforts and that of Nevada Women’s History Project, the group was able to lobby the Nevada State Legislature for the passage of bill to raise the over $200,000 needed for the creation and installation of a statue of Sarah Winnemucca in both the United States and Nevada capitols. Carrie is now the principal consultant for the statue of Helen J. Stewart set to be installed in Las Vegas in December.

Carrie has used her extensive knowledge of Helen J. Stewart to appear as Helen in Chautauqua events across the state of Nevada in which she has created historically accurate costumes to capture three different years in Helen’s life (1884, 1908 and 1924). Carrie has also given presentations focusing on the history of the Episcopal Church in Nevada, records and information management, and the preservation of Nevada’s past.

Carrie’s previous positions include work as a statistician for Sandia Corporation, a teacher of Nevada History and Math in Las Vegas, an archeologist, Special Collections Archivist at the University of Nevada, Reno Library, and as the State Coordinator for the Nevada Women’s History Project. She has also worked in the fields of records management and analysis. She is currently the records and information consultant with Townley-Porter Associates based in Reno, Nevada.