Rebel Women of the Gold Rush: Extraordinary Achievements and Daring Adventures

by Rich Mole

During the frenzied Klondike Gold Rush, many daring women ventured north to seek riches and adventure or to escape a troubled past. These unforgettable, strong-willed women defied the social conventions of the time and endured heartbreak and horrific conditions to build a life in the wild North. At the height of the gold rush, Martha Purdy, Nellie Cashman, Ethel Berry and a few hundred other women were conquering what came to be called the Trail of '98―a route that proved to be an impossible ordeal for many men. From renowned reporter Faith Fenton and successful entrepreneur Belinda Mulrooney to Mae Field, "The Doll of Dawson," and other "citizens of the demimonde," the Klondike's rebel women bring an intriguing new perspective to gold-rush history.

Genres: History, Womens, Canada

144 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2009

Reviews

[Taveri · Rating 4 out of 5]

the first three quarters was a fascinating read about different (extreme) ways to reach the Klondyke and stories of eight women who reached there and did well for themselves. Then it got convoluted as more characters were added with mentions of gold strikes elsewhere. About 30,000 people reached Dawson City and around 900 were women, so there were a lot more than the eight profiled. Some excerpts from the book:

P17 "in an era when most men did whatever they wanted and many women found they could not, it is astonishing that the gold-hungry hordes included any women at all."

P19 "Women had made up their minds to go to the Klondike, so there is no use trying to discourage them...our will are strong and courage unfailing," a woman reporter told readers of the Skagway News.

P21 Belinda Mulrooney's mother told her "You are the queerest human being I ever saw in my life" when Belinda wanted to make enough money to leave Pennslyvania (coal fields).

P39 With no sanitary systen to serve its 18,000 residents and little fresh food to feed them, Dawson was one of the unhealtiest places in North America.

P43 Martha told her husband he could go where he wanted, but she was off to the Klondike. Martha never saw him again.

P47 Americans chose Alaskan routes to avoid paying duties to Canadian Customs. Few realized by chosing these money saving routes, they stood an excellent chance of losing their health, sanity and even their lives.
Travellers became snow-blind, collapsed from scurvy and went quietly - or not so quietly - mad.

P65 at least 70 people lost their lives in the Palm Sonday avalanche

P70 "We didn't wait for the river to be open, we put the boats on sleds and pushed on. If the sleighs got stuck, we put a dog on to pull. When the wind filled the sails they threw the dog on the boat."

P73 For $25.05/pound of cargo, a horse drawn tram would portage a boat around White Horse Rapids [that was in 1898 dollars!]

P102 there were a thousand vessels becalmed on Lake Labarge

Dawson City is one of my favourite places, a stopover to stay in 100 year old hotels and dine in century old restaurants, enroute to where i lived ten hours drive further north (along the Dempster Highway). Now i know more about its history and fascinating characters that made it what it was.

[Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went on a cruise to Alaska back in September. While I was in Skagway, I picked up this book in the little bookshop there. I expected it to be an interesting read, but it kind of wasn't. It's written in a very disjointed way that it was difficult to keep my attention. Apart from all the misogyny from the time period, I don't feel like I learned a whole lot.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Revealing more intimate details about the Klondike Gold Rush, RM could have structured the book better. He constantly jumped from one Klondike adventurer to another and another, then revisited each in fragments throughout the book giving a fractured picture of each life.

[Horus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This thin book is one of many written by the author that give very basic biographies of the subjects. In this case it is an interesting, but all too brief look at the women who were brave (or foolish) enough to venture to the Yukon and Alaska during the gold rush era, pre 1900. His writing is engaging and I learned things I had not known before, but I wish the biographies had been longer. He really only just touches on each of the women discussed, just enough to remember them when he mentions them again later. The author divides the book into segments about travel, clothes, societal expectations of the time etc. This division seems to allow for a more wide ranging discussion mentioning other women who, maybe, there was less documentation on, only briefly. For my taste, I think I would have liked a more comprehensive biography instead of just snippets. However, that said, this is a good introduction to a part of (especially) Canadian history that likely many of us know nothing about.

[Morgan Pucillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing blend of non fiction with amazing story telling mixed in. Exploring the lives of a few notable brave women of the Klondike seemed more like a fictional adventure than real events. Switching from character to character the settings and events are constantly changing and making this book a page turner. I give it 4 stars because there could be so much more depth in this book. This book could be more detailed on the lives of these women rather than fragments of facts here and there. Overall a great read that has given me a new area of female independence to explore.

[Kathleen DeGeer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as a I completed the Chilkoot Trail and that was an indescribable feeling. The book empowered me to continue through the footsteps of Women's History. I generally find these types of books poorly written, but not this one. It was a great read.

[SusanwithaGoodBook · Rating 2 out of 5]

Saw this in a gift store in the Yukon, so I thought it would be an interesting read. Unfortunately the writing is stilted and uninspired. Somehow it made these stories boring instead of breathtaking.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an overview and it would have been nice if it had gone into more depth.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting and has a good reading list in the back from his sources.

[Megan Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Sigridur Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Efnið var það áhugavert að ruglingsleg frásagnaraðferð gat ekki alveg eyðilagt það.

[Renee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting stories which hint at what life was like for the women who took part in the Klondike Gold Rush. A paucity of verifiable material and a pedestrian writing style make it only okay.

[Ro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely interesting. I didn't love the organization of the book but the stories were great!