From Library Journal
Klondike Kate Rockwell, a good-time girl with a heart of gold, came to the Yukon in 1900 to find wealth and fame in the same mad scramble for gold that had lured many an adventurous young man. Her story of money made and lost, of multiple marriages and scandal, is one of the many similar tales chronicled in this well-researched and deftly written work by journalist Morgan. Women who followed the gold fever trail from Dawson to Nome to Fairbanks may have shared their male counterparts' ambition and courage, but their means of achieving success were severely limited. Legally unable to stake a claim or own a saloon, most chose to make their fortunes by "mining the miners." Some became showgirls and prostitutes, others became rich through marriage or multiple liaisons, while still others led lives of desperation culminating in murder or suicide. Although there is a sadly repetitive quality to the accounts, this work's unique perspective and splendid period photos make it a recommended purchase for academic and public libraries.?Rose M. Cichy, Osterhout Free Lib., Wilkes-Barre, PA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Independent Publisher
At the turn of the century, tens of thousands of American men migrated to Alaska to seek their share of millions of dollars in gold that was being mined in remote, subarctic camps. The eyes of the world turned to these voyagers who made fortunes overnight and sometimes lost them just as quickly, but it's taken nearly 100 years later to tell another side of the story-that of the "good time girls" who kept company with these men. We're talking about the women of the gold rush demimonde, "that half world of prostitutes, dance hall girls and entertainers who lived on the outskirts of respectable society," as author Lael Morgan describes them. Overall, they were a fiercely independent lot, defying post-Victorian society to travel north and endure incredible hardship, and sometimes heartbreak, as they, too, sought their fortunes. Among the many fascinating women whose stories are meticulously told by Morgan are "Dutch Kate" Wilson, the first good time girl to blaze a trail across the Yukon; femme fatales like Rose Blumkin, Cad Wilson and "French Marie" Larose, who auctioned herself off for marriage to the highest bidder; Georgia Lee, who became one of the wealthiest women in Alaska; "Klondike" Kate Rockwell, a violet-eyed chanteuse who wowed audiences with her legendary "Flame Dance;" and the outrageous Edith Neile, a.k.a. the "Oregon Mare." It was a time and place where anything was possible, and many of these women became prominent citizens, wealthy property and business owners, and society wives, such as one former prostitute who married the mayor of Fairbanks and hosted President Warren G. Harding when he came through town. Morgan tells these stories with humor and empathy, and fully documents details of the era, especially with a wonderful collection of rare photographs. An associate professor of journalism at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, she has researched the history of the Far North for more than 30 years, and the depth of her work is reflected in this well-crafted and enormously entertaining saga of a little-known till now, but important piece of the gold rush story.
