Leonie - A Woman Ahead of Her Time

Leonie von Zesch (1882-1944), daughter of a German countess, was born in Llano, Texas. At age 19, she graduated as a Doctor of Dental Surgery. Her professional credentials allowed her the freedom to ignore the conventions of the times and follow her heart, combining work with adventure, preferring the wilds of Alaska, California and Arizona to the tameness of city life.

The author offers a vivid firsthand account of her life and travels in the American West of the early 20th Century.

She was posthumously inducted into the Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame in March, 2012 in recognition of her service in bringing dental healthcare to the indigenous people of Alaska.