When the steamship Portland docked in Seattle's harbour in 1897, a group of scruffy men and women walked down the gangplank. There was nothing remarkable about them---except they were dragging sacks stuffed with half a million dollars' worth of gold. Among them was Ethel Berry, who helped mine one of the richest claims in the Klondike.<BR><BR>Compared to the tens of thousands of men, the number of women who joined the stampede was never high, but their impact was immense. They were miners, entrepreneurs, teachers, doctors, nurses, journalists, entertainers, missionaries, and mothers. Using diaries, letters, memoirs, newspaper accounts, and more than fifty archival photographs, Backhouse has carefully researched the stories of these women and provided us with intimate and intriguing portraits.<BR><BR>After Women of the Klondike was first published in 1995 it quickly became a Canadian bestseller. Now, fifteen years later, the stories of these women continue to fascinate and entertain us.<BR><BR>"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 crazy---as any man."---Canadian Geographic<BR><BR>"Frances Backhouse has done an admirable job of breathing new life into the familiar story of the Klondike gold rush. Many historians seem to have forgotten---or have neglected to mention---the significant role played by women. Backhouse reminds us with stories that are rich in energy, humour and poignancy."---The StarPhoenix