Wilderness Road State Park is dedicated to preserving and showcasing frontier history for the locals and tourists all throughout the region. On July 14, the women of the frontier will get the spotlight with the Woman Warrior event.

Starting at 11 a.m., stations will be set up for women to learn the skills the frontier women had to know. This includes making a fire, tomahawk throwing, bow and arrow lessons, musket firing, fire-lock maintenance, cartridge rolling, bullet making and other skills.

At 2 p.m. the competition will begin. The rules of the competition will be explained at the event. There will be prizes for the top three contenders.

“Women on the frontier played a crucial role. Not only were they homemakers, they also became warriors when called upon,” said De-Andra Herzig, the event’s organizer. “They trekked through the wilderness the same as their male counterparts and often with children by their side or in the arms. As a women living in the 21st century, I have respect for the ladies of 1775. I have tried to follow in their footsteps and often find myself wondering how they were able to endure so much.”

According to a press release, as the Revolutionary War was gearing up, many settlements in the back-woods were unprotected due to militias being formed and the men going to battle. This left the women of the communities the extra responsibility of not only being the caretakers, but the warriors as well.

The women of the frontier had to protect their homes from the British loyalists, Shawnee and Cherokee raiders.