The Women of Shakespeare

Emma Marble Muir told the town's stories herself, in New Mexico Magazine pieces such as Shakespeare Becomes a Ghost Town. Her daughter Rita and Rita's husband, Frank Hill, hoped the town would draw visitors. The 1997 fire took the General Merchandise Store, which was Janaloo and her husband Manny Hough's home; her old dance studio still hangs with her photographs. Manny kept the work going until his death in 2018, and his daughter Gina and her husband, Dave Ochsenbine, now give the tours. The panel's body calls Rita Wells Muir the woman its heading names Rita Wells Hill.

What the plaque says

Official Scenic Historic Marker The Women of Shakespeare Emma Marble Muir (1873-1959) Rita Wells Hill (1901-1985) Janaloo Hill Hough (1939-2005) Emma Marble Muir arrived at the mining town of Shakespeare in 1882. She and her daughter, Rita Wells Muir, learned to appreciate and preserve the town's history. Rita and her husband bought Shakespeare as part of their ranch in 1935. Rita passed the ranch to her daughter, Janaloo Hill Hough. (continued on back) Official Scenic Historic Marker The Women of Shakespeare Emma Marble Muir (1873-1959) Rita Wells Hill (1901-1985) Janaloo Hill Hough (1939-2005) Janaloo and her husband continued fighting for the history and preservation of Shakespeare. Investing their own resources, they rebuilt some of the buildings destroyed by a fire in 1997. Without the dedication of this mother, daughter and granddaughter, the ghost town of Shakespeare would not exist today.

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Lordsburg — steps away
• Shakespeare — steps away
• Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument — steps away
• Lordsburg — 0.6 mi