PWAC Victoria: Frances Backhouse, Writing Sample

The Reading Room

Women of the Klondike

by Frances Backhouse ©

The story of the adventurous women who joined the Klondike gold rush at the end of the 19th century, drawn from diaries, letters, memoirs and newspaper accounts. Published by Whitecap Books, 1995 (revised edition, 2000). Softcover, 227 pp., index, bibliography, 53 archival photos, ISBN 1-55285-407-8, $18.95.

Preface

"There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold." So wrote Robert Service, poet laureate of the Klondike. Rereading those famous lines a few years ago I began to wonder about the women who moiled through the endless days of the Yukon summer and the dark winter months. Soon idle contemplation turned to obsession and I found myself poring over old newspapers, diaries, turn-of-the-century books, and memoirs. I discovered a wealth of references to women, many frustratingly brief, and a number of real gems: richly detailed stories that introduced me to some fascinating individuals. Most precious were the firsthand accounts written by women at the time of the gold rush or carefully recorded years later.

Awards

Runner-up for the 1996 VanCity Prize (for the best B.C. book pertaining to women's issues) and shortlisted for the 1996 Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-fiction.

As I suspected, the women of the Klondike were more numerous and more diverse than most historians would have us believe. Not all were white or English-speaking. The majority were American, but some came from as far away as Europe, Australia, and Japan. Native women also played a part in gold rush society--some as active participants, others as silent observers.

The diversity of Klondike women is best revealed in the work they did. Although I did not find one who made her fortune by wielding a pick and shovel, a number of women did strike paydirt running successful businesses or shrewdly investing in mining properties. Many more just managed to make a living, doing the same kinds of jobs they had done in the south--cooking, sewing, washing laundry, teaching, typing, nursing, and entertaining men.

Reviews

The Canadian Historical Review: "Backhouse is to be commended for the research that produced such a rich cast of characters. Women of the Klondike is a readable popular narrative of diverse gold-rush women."

Canadian Geographic: "Women of the Klondike is a valuable contribution to the growing literature which shows, without a doubt, that a woman could be just as adventurous -- and as crazy -- as any man."

Saskatoon StarPhoenix: "Frances Backhouse has done an admirable job of breathing new life into the familiar story of the Klondike gold rush . . . This is a fine addition to Canadian history books."

The singers, dancers, and prostitutes attracted the most attention at the time and have since come to be considered archetypes of the gold rush woman. Yet they were never representative of the Klondike's female population. The majority of women living in Dawson and the surrounding gold fields were wives who accompanied their husbands or joined them later. Often they burned with gold fever just as intensely as their men. In some cases, however, they simply believed that a woman's place was at her husband's side and that her greatest reward came from making a comfortable, happy home for him.

Then there were the women who went questing for different kinds of gold. Some were seeking souls to save; others hoped to gain professional recognition. A few even travelled to the Klondike to bring back exotic tales to relate at dinner parties in New York City and San Francisco.

Compared to the tens of thousands of men, the number of women who joined the stampede was never high, probably no more than a few thousand. Nevertheless, they were a vital part of Klondike society, both during and after the gold rush. Nearly a century after the historic event, their words speak to me and their eyes meet mine as they stare out from faded photographs. This is their story.

Frances Backhouse
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Last updated: July 12, 2005 http://www.islandnet.com/pwacvic/backho05.html