Historical Marker

Ada McPherson Morley (1852–1917) and Agnes Morley Cleaveland, (1874–1958)

Side 1

Ada McPherson Morley ran a ranch outside of Datil, New Mexico where she raised three children, including Agnes Morley Cleaveland. A crusader for women’s rights, she opposed the infamous Santa Fe Ring, worked for women’s suffrage for over thirty years, and formed societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals as well as the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

Side 2

A native New Mexican, Agnes Morley Cleaveland grew up on her family’s ranch near Datil, New Mexico. Her prize-winning book, No Life for A Lady (1941), is an autobiographical story of a woman’s life on a turn-of-the-century ranch. She was educated and lived in other parts of the country, but always returned home to Datil where she spent the last years of her life.