Mary Dixon Kies (1752-1837) was an American inventor. On this date in 1809, she was issued a patent for a new technique of weaving straw with silk and thread to make hats. The patent was signed by President James Madison. Kies may have been the first woman to receive a U.S. patent. But some sources say that Hazel Irwin, who received a patent for a cheese press in 1808, was the first, or Hannah Slater in 1793 for a new method of producing sewing thread from cotton. Hats made by Kies's method were sturdier than others, because of using silk instead of straws in the seam held the cross-hatching together. And the method was highly cost-effective and widely adopted. Manufacturers kept producing Kies' method, even after her patent was burned in the fire of the Patent Office in 1836. But Kies made very little profit from her sales. After the death of her husband John Kies, she moved in with her son Daniel Kies, who tried to help by investing. But Kies ultimately died penniless, due to changes in fashion trends which made her invention obsolete. Credit: https://w.wiki/MnyT Photo: Source Uncertain https://www.davison.com/blog/inventor-monday-mary-dixon-kies/ I planned to climb Mount Diablo tomorrow, with the Valley Spokesmen on their regular Wednesday practice ride. So I thought I should throw in a spin today. I planned to start from Safeway, down the hill from my family's home up a steep hill at Fountaingrove. I planned a flat route that included some of the creek trails west of Santa Rosa. But some of those trails have surfaces unsuitable for road bikes. Piner Creek Trail in particular has big rocks throughout it's loose gravel. It would have shaken the Domane to bits, so I quickly got off the trail and continued on roughly parallel roads. Coming back, Santa Rosa Creek Trail was much smoother gravel. Cloudy and cool the whole time. So no sunblock! Yay!