Women of the Klondike

by Frances Backhouse

On July 14, 1897, the steamship Excelsior docked in San Francisco and a band of scruffy individuals, just returned from the far north, walked down the gangplank dragging suitcases and sacks that collectively held half a million dollars’ worth of gold. Their arrival sparked one of the most colourful episodes in northern history—the Klondike gold rush. Over the next few years, some 100,000 people from around the world set out to make their fortunes in the Klondike fields. Among them were a surprising number of adventurous women of every description: entrepreneurs, nurses, teachers, prospectors, nuns, prostitutes, journalists and wives. This is their story, mined from diaries, letters, memoirs and newspapers, and illustrated with archival photos.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography, Canada, Travel, Audiobook, Outdoors

Paperback

First published October 1, 1995

About the author

Frances Backhouse is a veteran freelance journalist who has written for Audubon, New Scientist, Canadian Geographic and numerous other magazines. Her training and experience as a biologist inform her environmental writing, including her books about owls and woodpeckers. Her other three books reflect her ongoing fascination with Klondike gold rush history.

Reviews

[George Ilsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Women of the Klondike is organized around types, or themes, such as missionaries, tourists, or dance hall girls. Many women were wives who accompanied husbands on their quest for gold. Others found husbands in the remote community (Backhouse never repeats the expression I heard in Dawson referring to the greater numbers of men: “The odds are good, but the goods are odd”).

Backhouse suggests women at the time tended towards being delicate and helpless and I snorted. What about farm wives? Pioneers? Women have been hardworking and resilient since the beginning of time, and that they proved to be so in the Klondike was no surprise.

Of course some people, men and women, found the conditions too arduous or uncomfortable and turned back or only stayed a few weeks. Others fell under the spell of the Yukon and then could not imagine living anywhere else.

A fascinating book, although perhaps best approached one chapter at a time, rather than reading straight through.

[Adèle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great! Loved this book and all the historical characters from our past! Frances Backhouse did a great job. Highly recommend!
If you also enjoyed this book, I'd HIGHLY recommend grabbing a copy of Laura Beatrice Berton's "I Married the Klondike". It's a fascinating and insightful into life after the golden days of the Klondike Rush.

Both books equally enthralling and have become some of my favourites.

[Sherri · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting perspective of the women who traveled the Klondike Trail through the Yukon Territory in Canada during the gold rush of the late 1800s. All types of women from adventurers, wives, entrepreneurs, reporter, nurses, nuns and more. Wish there were a few more pictures or detailed maps could have helped.

[Stacia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally finished my first book of 2013: "Women of the Klondike" by Frances Backhouse. I found it to be a well-written, straightforward account of women in the Klondike, mostly during the gold rush years of the late 1800s/early 1900s. Backhouse covers all types of women... adventurers who went seeking gold, journalists, entertainers (running the gamut from singers to prostitutes), nuns, nurses, teachers, accountants, secretaries, business investors & managers, tourists, & more.

This book also includes lots of nice photographs -- a very nice touch.

The version of the book I read was a later edition because the back includes an epilogue where she talks about families that contacted her after the first release of the book & provided additional info/letters/family history on some of the women in her book.

Especially fascinating if you like history, genealogy, &/or women's history.

FYI, I looked up some of Backhouse's source materials. If you are interested, one of them is currently free on amazon Kindle: "A Woman who went to Alaska" by May Kellogg Sullivan. Sullivan was briefly covered in the chapter about women who went to the Klondike mostly as tourists. I haven't read Sullivan's book (yet), but thought I'd mention it since it is currently available for free download.
http://www.amazon.com/Woman-who-went-...

[Marilyn Lagier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hunting for something to read and "found" this book on my shelves--I'd bought it way back in 2001 in Skagway, AK-on a cruise we took. It was actually quite interesting. We took a train over the Chilcoot Pass, saw the Dead Horse Trail--so reading about what all endured, and especially the women going over with their long dresses, etc.--pretty amazing. I don't know how anyone would have wanted to live in that area during the Klondike Gold Rush!

[Merideth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this really hard to put down. The stories are mostly memoir or from news clippings, and they flow beautifully from one to the other giving you a tapestry of the life of women in the Klondike at the time of the gold rush.

[Rachel Werz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting collection of stories from a very specific time and place in history! We've all heard gold rush stories, but we rarely hear the stories of women from that time. There were lady entrepreneurs, dancers, pioneers, whores, nuns, nurses, millionaires, business owners, risk-seekers, general badasses, cooks, and community organizers. These are sourced mostly from letters written just before the 20th century. Stories of women in history, written by women. Refreshing.

[Margo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating look at the women who tamed the Yukon Territory during the Klondike gold rush. Very well-researched using diaries,letters and published travelogues by the women themselves.

[Heidi Bakk-Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up because through my local history research I found a connection between the people who profited from Duluth's lumber, mining and real estate during its first settler generations and the gold seekers who stormed the Klondike during its short-lived gold rush. A really good overview of the types of women who went there, both the privileged offspring of settler pillaging and the sex workers and other entertainers who pioneer such boom towns as they rise.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kid of a slog, if I'm honest. This book chronicles the lives of the women who went to the klondike, specifically a town called Dawson during the early gold rush days. It has some fine, interesting stories, but the style, sadly, doesn't hold your interest.

[Karen GoatKeeper · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the Yukon gold rush is mentioned, most people think only men went north. Over a thousand women went north too.
In the first years, conditions were brutal. It wasn't just the cold and snow, it was the lack of everything. Yet wives went with their husbands, women wanting to open businesses or prospect joined them, dance hall girls, teachers, nurses, journalists made the trek.
By 1906 the gold rush was over. Dawson was a settled place. Women were wearing the latest fashions from Paris.
This book tells about these women and the challenges they faced. Each chapter relates stories and conditions about a different group of women who went north. One later group were the tourists.
The tales from many sources including diaries, letters, newspaper and magazine articles reveal a much different gold rush than the common notion. This book is easy reading and tells about an interesting time in history.

[Karen Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such interesting material, and I am currently obsessed with the Klondike, but presented in a pretty dry way. I would have liked more editorial to spice things up, and these women were pioneers! Where is their fanfare? More fanfare, please. But it's going to be a tough sell after reading Charlotte Grey no matter what.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obviously incredibly well-researched, complete with pictures. Delivered in a dry manner, though. Covers many different women from varying backgrounds. More of an overview of many, many women rather than a deep dive into just a few. Feels like it skims to surface broadly, rather than focusing on a few, deeper. Still, interesting.

[Paula Forest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked this book up while on trip to Washington-I always but a book written by a female author. Delightful book about strong adventurous women who joined the Gold Rush.
Teaser: chapters on dance halls girls, women of the night and religious nuns.

[Amberle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good read if you are interested in the history of such things. Interesting to read about women's status in society and social norms dictating those times. A little frustrating from a woman's point of view to say the least! Really enjoyed this read!

[Amy D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got a kick out of learning the stories of these resourceful women, while also learning of the Alaskan Gold Rush in general. Women played an important role in establishing towns and routes, and did a lot more than the more commonly known "entertainment"-type jobs. Such bold women!

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Informative but not great flow of writing.

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good. Full of historical interest and facts about the gold rush.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

#girlpower #girlboss

But truly, men would have been useless up there.

[Racheal Roos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Throughly enjoyed this book!!

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last year I failed to finish "The Weaker Vessel", a survey history of British women's roles of the 17th Century. "Women of the Klondike" is structured in a similar fashion, but being 300 pages shorter and containing more pictures it was easier to complete. Each chapter focuses on a role women played in the Gold Rush of the 1890's. Women, it turns out, went north too. The reasons were varied, some were looking for gold, others work, others to save souls. There are many great stories here, my favorite being about how when civilization came to Dawson, Klondike Kate and the other dance hall girls had to go. In the Epilogue Frances Backhouse (was there ever a better name for a Klondike Historian?) also expands several stories to include new information she learned from some of these brave women's ancestors.

[Vanet Clemons]

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was fascinating to learn so much about what enticed women to participate in the
Gold Rush in 1898. Many of them managed to make a living by doing exactly what they were engaged in before they journeyed north. Jobs included cooking, mending/sewing, washing clothes, teaching, singing, and dancing for the men. The aurthor did not find a woman who made her fortune while 'digging' for gold but became an instant millionaire when her husband 'struck it rich'.
I give this book 2 thumbs up!!

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The wild adventurers, the entrepreneurs,wives, tourists, but very few goldminers who went to The Yukon. How women tackle and settle the wilderness. White women, that is, the book does not mention native women.
Interaction between white women and native women would have been interesting to read about. Better quality photos would help bring the book to life.

[Laura Chase · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up a couple of years ago when I had the opportunity to visit Haines Alaska.
I really enjoyed reading this over my lunch breaks at work. I felt like I was transported back in time and got a really good sense of what these women were like and what types of hardships they had to endure,

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aside from the fact that aboriginal women only get a passing nod in this book, this was quite an enjoyable read. Backhouse adopts an almost conversational tone and weaves together a number of stories in an almost seamless way. A quick, light intro to some Canadian history.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

2022 own: Enjoyed this book. Learned a great deal about what it was like to live and travel to the Klondike for gold. Brought that period to life, while celebrating the role women and indigenous people played, while also sharing how these groups were also taken advantageous of at times.

[Jbondandrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book about the women of the Klondike era. I hope to read more about that time period.

[Jack · Rating 2 out of 5]

Amateur tourist trap book.

[Bryna · Rating 2 out of 5]

interesting read, but not exactly what you'd call exciting...

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

What courage it took for these women to set out to the far north at the time of the gold rush.