Description
The popular image of the Klondike is of a rush of white, male
adventurers who overcame great physical and geographical obstacles in
their quest for gold. Young, white, single American men carried forward
the ideals and structures of the western frontier. It was a man's
world made respectable only after the turn of the century with the
arrival of white, middle class women who miraculously swept out the
corners of dirt and vice and 'civilized' the society. These
impressions endure despite recent attempts to correct them.
Gamblers and Dreamers tackles some of the myths about the
history of the North in the era of the gold rush. Though many
inhabitants came and went, Charlene Porsild focuses on the concept of
community commitment to show that many put down roots. This in-depth
study of Dawson City at the turn of the century reveals that the city
had a cosmopolitan character, a stratified society, and a definite
permanence. It examines the lives of First Nations peoples, miners and
other labourers, professionals, merchants, dance hall performers and
sex trade workers, providing fascinating detail about those who left
homes and jobs to strike it rich in the last great gold rush of the
nineteenth century. In the process, Gamblers and Dreamers puts
a human face on this compelling period of history.
Awards
- Winner, W. Turrentine Jackson Prize, Western History Association 2000
- Winner, Clio Award (North), Canadian Historical Association 1999
Reviews
Charlene Porsild could walk the Chilkoot Trail blindfolded. She knows every rock and stone along the way, every acre of fire-scarred earth ... the information she uncovered ... Has challenged myths about the Yukon at the turn of the last century.
- Vancouver Courier
Porsild's pioneering work is the first social history of the Klondike gold rush based on primary and archival research. ... Until now, no one has tackled the tremendous wealth of diaries and private papers housed in the various provincial and territorial archives to give a fully rounded picture of life in Dawson City and the gold fields at the beginning of the 20th century ... Excellent illustrations. All levels.
- W.R. Morrison
Porsild ... Exhaustively examined Dawson census records and carefully considered hundreds of goldrush diaries and personal memoirs. Her conclusions, published in Gamblers and Dreamers: Women, Men, and Community in the Klondike, may force a revision of the popular images ... The inclusion of many fine old photographs make this an especially worthwhile work.
- The Beaver, December 1998 / January 1999