Prospects of a Woman by Wendy Voorsanger

Elisabeth is a young wife who travels with her husband to find her father who is panning for gold on the American River.   But she has a rude awakening.  Her father takes his young Indian lady friend and leaves.  Then she finds her husband is more interested in men than he is in her.  Her whole life to this point has been a failure...

She Writes Press sent me an ARC of this book to read for review (thank you).  It is being published today. 

After seeing her husband at a dance, dancing with another man, and then heading into the darkness with him, she no longer loves him.  As she talks to a few of the ladies in town, she finds out that, in this state, women can be their own person.  They have a right to property, can get divorced, and more.  Elisabeth decides to strike out on her own.

She's still very naive and falls in love with a Mexican.  That romance doesn't turn out well either.  Then a fire comes along and burns her home and business up.  She also loses her money she had saved.

But she doesn't give.  She decides she's through with men, gets another job and becomes even more independent.  She's blazing a trial for those women of the next generation...