Jeanne L'Strange Cappel (May 10, 1873 – September 27, 1949), also known as Jennie Strange Rolson, Wa-be-no O-pee-chee, and Wabena Opechee, was an American writer, educator, and clubwoman, author of ''Chippewa Tales'' (1928).

Early life

Jeanne Marie Strange was born in

Dundas, Minnesota Dundas is a city in Rice County, Minnesota, Rice County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,367 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Dundas is bordered by the city of Northfield, Minnesota, Northfield. United States Army Majo ...

, the daughter of Edward Strange (1842–1908) and Laura (or Lauraette) Sargent Strange (1846–1937). She was described as being a member of the Chippewa (

Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

) people, and recalled a Chippewa grandmother in her presentations. She graduated from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

Career

Cappel was a physical education teacher and playground director in Los Angeles. She wrote two volumes of ''Chippewa Tales'' (1928, 1930), retellings of traditional stories, and ''The Mother You Gave Me'' (1941), a novel, with Beatrice Phillips Cole. She was a founding member and president of the American Indian Woman's History and Art Club, and wrote, directed, and acted in a play, ''Out of the Past'', performed by the club in 1933. The club required active members to have Indian ancestry. Cappel gave lectures on American Indian lore to community groups and at a

Campfire Girls Camp Fire, formerly Camp Fire USA and originally Camp Fire Girls of America, is a co-ed youth development organization. Camp Fire was the first nonsectarian, multicultural organization for girls in America. It is gender inclusive, and its prog ...

camp, sometimes in costume, and sometimes with her son to accompany her. "The Indian tales deal so much with things in nature," she explained of her work. "They not only give a practical suggestion that is real education for the child mind, but they also afford the imagination a delightful impetus." Cappel was also active with the Dickens Fellowship, and the Los Angeles branch of the

National League of American Pen Women The National League of American Pen Women, Inc. (NLAPW) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) membership organization for women. History The first meeting of the League of American Pen Women was organized in 1897 by Marian Longfellow O'Donoghue, a writer ...

. She was reported to be "the first woman of her ancestry to become a

Daughter of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' struggle for independence. A non-pro ...

Personal life

Jennie Strange married Richard O. Rolson in 1891; they had a son, Robert Earl Rolson (1893–1986), and moved to California, where they divorced. She married Albert Cappel in 1916, in Los Angeles. He died in 1937. She lived in

Laguna Beach Laguna Beach (; ''Laguna'', Spanish for "Lagoon") is a seaside resort city located in southern Orange County, California, in the United States. It is known for its mild year-round climate, scenic coves, environmental preservation efforts, and a ...

in her later years, and died in 1949, aged 76 years, in Los Angeles. Her gravesite is in

Inglewood Park Cemetery Inglewood Park Cemetery, 720 East Florence Avenue in Inglewood, California, was founded in 1905. A number of notable people, including entertainment and sports personalities, have been interred or entombed there. History The proposed est ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cappel, Jeanne L'Strange 1873 births 1949 deaths People from Rice County, Minnesota Ojibwe culture Clubwomen People from Boyle Heights, Los Angeles American educators Burials at Inglewood Park Cemetery University of Southern California alumni 20th-century American women writers Writers from Minnesota