WAY BACK WHEN - 100 Years Ago Today - On July 7, 1918, women rolled up their sleeves & pitched in. As more and more young men left for the battlefields, young women stepped up to take their places -- in the fields, in the theaters, in the telegraph offices, and in the hotels. "Girls Ready to Enter Bean Fields," wrote the local paper on July 7, 1918. "Clad in overalls and straw sombreros, nine well-known Santa Barbara girls will invade the Carpinteria apricot orchards … The job undertaken by the girls is a man-sized one. … The girls will not only pit, but they will pick and dry the fruit as well, practically unassisted by male employees. … Appearance will be a secondary matter, so a little dirt upon their faces and hands is to be expected."