Overlooked No More: Charley Parkhurst, Gold Rush Legend With a Hidden Identity

This article details the life and ever-present mystery surrounding Charles Parkhurst, the first woman to have voted (illegitimately) in California due to living her life as a male stagecoach.

Notables: Thirty Years in Disguise, Charlotte Darkey Parkhurst, Ebenezer Balch, The Real Mountain Charley, Wells Fargo, Charley Darkey Parkhurst, One-Eyed Charley, Charley's Choice, The Whip, Charles Darkey Parkhurst
Creator: Tim Arango
Source: New York Times
Date: 2018
Type: ARTICLE
Coverage:
  • Biographies
  • Suffrage
  • Santa Cruz County
  • Santa Cruz
  • Watsonville
  • 2010s
Identifier: MS-SANTA CRUZ-BIOGRAPHY N TO S-3

Citation

Arango, Tim. “Overlooked No More: Charley Parkhurst, Gold Rush Legend With a Hidden Identity.” New York Times. 2018. SCPL Local History. https://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/items/show/138455. Accessed 24 Sep. 2025.