Wealth Woman: Kate Carmack and the Klondike Race for Gold

by Deb Vanasse

Overview

With the first headlines screaming “Gold! Gold! Gold!” in 1896, the Klondike Gold Rush was on—and it almost instantly became the stuff of legend. One of the key figures in the early discoveries that set off the gold rush was the Tagish wife of prospector George Carmack, Kate Carmack, whose fascinating story is told in full here for the first time.

In Wealth Woman, Deb Vanasse recounts Kate’s life from her early years on the frontier with George, through the history-making discovery of gold, and on to her subsequent fame, when she traveled alone down the West Coast through Washington and California, telling her story and fighting for her wealth, her family, and her reputation. Recovering the lost story of a true pioneer and a fiercely independent woman, Wealth Woman brings gold rush Alaska to life in all its drama and glory.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781602232778
Publisher:	University of Alaska Press
Publication date:	04/15/2016
Pages:	314
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Deb Vanasse is the author of nine books.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

1 Gold I Bring 1

2 They're Coming Now 11

3 Fair Trade 23

4 Free to All White Men 35

5 Peculiar Privilege 47

6 A Troublesome Question 57

7 We Claim Them All 67

8 Sometimes We Had Plenty 81

9 Shove It out Now 93

10 Good Gold, Lots a Gold 105

11 A Lot of Thanks I Get 123

12 Treacherous Instincts 139

13 The Merry Jingle of Coins 155

14 Simply Too Good 165

15 Simply a Misery 181

16 Nowhere to Turn 191

17 All They Once Possessed 205

18 A High Standard 215

19 A Light Left On 231

Epilogue 247

Acknowledgments 257

Endnotes 261

Bibliography 309

Index 319

Editorial Reviews

"Caught in the whirlwind of the gold rush in Alaska was Kate Carmack, the Tagish Indian wife of prospector George Carmack. Either Kate, her husband, or her brother found the nugget of gold that set off the Klondike Gold Rush. The truth is lost to history, as she almost was. Fiction author Vanasse became fascinated with Kate and spent three years combing through historical records, oral histories, and memories of family members to rediscover the life of this remarkable woman. . . . A  very enjoyable biography of a woman on the cusp of change in the North. Recommended."
 

Choice

Winner in "Women" Category

True West - Best Biography of 2016

An excellent example of the new western history that seeks to recover previously marginalized voices.

Ross Coen

A blend of narrative nonfiction and biography that offers the first in-depth look at Kate Carmack's life. The book is a formidable feat of research.

Alaska Dispatch News

This is a riveting story told by a brilliant writer.

Pacific Historical Review

Vanasse’s carefully researched, beautifully written biography, Wealth Woman, helps to fill many of the information gaps in the chronology of Kate’s event-filled multi-cultural life. . . . There is much to learn, enjoy, and recommend in this book.

Pacific Northwest Quarterly