Cousins Lula Mae Graves (left) and Susie Keef Smith captured the desert’s wild spirit in the 1920s. Their story is featured in “Postcards from Mecca,” on display at the Sutter County Museum through Nov. 15. Photo by Shamaya Sutton

YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) - Imagine living at the outskirts of the Old West, in one of the hottest and most rugged places in the continental U.S. — and at a time when banks wouldn’t even allow you to open an account without a male relative’s approval.

This was the reality for Susie Keef Smith and Lula Mae Graves, and yet somehow these women managed to harness their freedom — documenting the wild frontier on their own terms and from their own perspective.

Their miraculous adventure was nearly lost to history, saved only when archaeologist and historian Ron May jumped into a dumpster in the late 1980s after a county administrator discarded Smith’s collection. His timely rescue reclaimed many of the photographs now featured in the latest exhibit at the Sutter County Museum: Postcards From Mecca.

Postcards From Mecca presents the story of two intrepid women in the 1920s and 1930s — cousins who ventured into the desert east of California’s Salton Sea to document a vanishing frontier. Self-taught photographers, Smith and Graves traveled by burro, foot, and Ford, armed with a .38 revolver, a large-format camera, and a shared curiosity for the unknown.

An original Eastman Kodak camera used by Susie Keef Smith and Lula Mae Graves, part of “Postcards from Mecca,” now showing at the Sutter County Museum through Nov. 15. Photo by Shamaya Sutton

The pair explored a landscape of extremes — sand-bogged bajadas, roadless canyons, rattlesnakes, and 120-degree heat — to capture the raw beauty and hardship of desert life. Their images, often reproduced as postcards, chronicled the prospectors, surveyors, and wanderers who shaped this rugged corner of California.

While other photographers like Ansel Adams and Edward Weston were immortalizing the great landscapes and workers of their time, Susie and Lula were carving their own path — bringing a rare feminine gaze to the masculine mythos of the West. Their efforts and story are reminiscent of the esteemed work of Dorothea Lange, who captured the grit and resilience of Depression-era America. The photos themselves might be black and white, but they tell a vibrant story of passion and adventure, revealing the heart of two women who refused to be confined by the limits of their era.

This traveling exhibit was curated by Ann Japenga and Warner V. Graves III, developed in collaboration with the La Quinta Museum, and brought to Yuba City by Exhibit Envoy. Those interested in viewing Postcards from Mecca have until Nov. 15 to experience the display at the Sutter County Museum, located at 1333 Butte House Road in Yuba City. The museum is open Wednesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. (closed Sunday through Tuesday). Admission is free, though visitors are encouraged to call 530-822-7141 before visiting to confirm hours due to limited staffing. For details, visit www.suttercountymuseum.org/exhibits.