Wealth Woman: Kate Carmack and the Klondike Race for Gold by Deb Vanasse

Wealth Woman: Kate Carmack and the Klondike Race for Gold Reviews

• 
  Dana Stabenow

  Well-written and extensively researched bio not only of the eponymous Kate Carmack but of the Tagish culture in whose backyard the Klondike gold rush erupted. Vanesse writes
  
  ...like an incantation of magic, the very word Klondike invokes abundance, the vindication of the American dream and the triumph of the individual in its most measurable manifestation: wealth.
  
  Not so magical for Kate, a Tagish woman whose white husband abandons her Outside. Her brother brings her home, and Vanesse writes
  
  [Kate] knew where her wealth was--not in Seattle or California, not in George Carmack's bank accounts, or his hotel, or his Microbane Medical stock. It was right there in the Yukon, with Jim and Graphie and Mary and all of her family. Among Animal Mother's mountains, she knew the right ways to act, surrounded by those who loved her always, the Dakl'aweidi and the Deisheetaan.
  
  I'd heard that story that Kate, not her husband, had been the first to find the gold that started the rush, and I am choosing to believe it even if we do get it only secondhand. What could be more mundane than finding a handful of gold nuggets in the soapy water of your dishpan? It sounds more likely than any of the many stories George told about it.
  
  In these covid-19 times it is interesting that Kate died of the Spanish flu, the post World War I influenza pandemic that took at least 50 million lives worldwide. What is sobering is is that the Spanish flu's existence was first recorded in March 1918. Kate died in March 1920, two full years later.
  
  One thing I especially wanted to mention: I really liked the way the story of Kohklux and Seward foreshadowed the story of the Nantuck Boys. The first story is well known to even the most cursory reader of Alaskan history; the second, not so much but every bit as worthwhile and illustrative of the clash of cultures wrought by the Gold Rush. .
• 
  Bonnye Reed

  ABNG This is a book I will acquire in hardback and keep, and read again, in company with Steve Wall's Wisdom's Daughters and Paula Underwood's The Walking People. Thank you. It was extra special to find this biography, and have an opportunity to read it. Netgalley generously gifted me a copy for review. Thank you, Netgalley and Deb Vanasse, for sharing your work with me.
  
  It is only within the last few years that indigenous woman were portrayed in true light - for so many generations they were given no credit for intelligence, morals, or ambition. Rather they were judged against the norm for European women with no insight into their way of life. Thank you, Ms. Vanasse, for bringing us Kate 'Shaaw Tlaa' Carmack of the Klondike in all of her varied richness. She was a remarkable woman who carried her heritage firmly into the twentieth century despite all the setbacks weighed against her. Because of her - and your research to bring her story to the light, we have a much more complete picture of life and times in Alaska before, during and after Klondike gold.
• 
  Lynn Lovegreen

  Deb Vanasse’s book is about Kate Carmack (or Shaaw Tláa, her Tagich name), best known as the Native wife of George Carmack, the supposed discoverer of the great Klondike gold strike. Vanasse paints a vivid picture of the woman and her times. This book is a compelling biography, but also more, an analysis of the cultures and personalities in the years before, during, and after the Klondike gold rush.
• 
  Mandy

  The story of the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897-98 begins with George Carmack’s discovery of gold, and in this thorough and painstakingly researched account we see events from the perspective of Carmack’s native wife Shaaw Tlaa, or Kate as she came to be known. The book is a vivid and fascinating account of life on the gold fields, of the winners and losers, and of the interaction between those seeking gold and the First Nation inhabitants of the Yukon who often served as a bridge between the two groups, and were often indeed key to the exploration of the area. Kate herself is a really interesting character, a strong and independent woman who had somehow to juggle her life between her native traditions and the modern world into which she was so precipitately thrust. We never get to hear her voice, as that is unfortunately missing from the record but Vanasse does an incredibly good job at providing some insight into her personality, and into her culture and traditional ways of thinking. The book is well-documented, with many useful notes, and contains some wonderful photos. Vanasse is to be congratulated in bringing this forgotten figure to the fore and in giving voice to a remarkably courageous woman, and to First Nation women in general. A must read for anyone interested in the history of the Yukon.
• 
  Cathyg

  A true historical work, lots of research was done and end notes provided. All in all rather dry. Did not get interesting until about 125 pages in when gold was discovered.
• 
  Melinda Brasher

  The Klondike Gold Rush is a fascinating time and so are its characters. Deb Vanasse's Wealth Woman delves into the life, culture, and controversy of Kate Carmack, the native wife of George Carmack and the sister of Skookum Jim, the men who discovered the gold that changed the whole region.
  
  One of the most interesting aspects of the book is the insight into Kate's childhood, culture, and traditional ways of thinking, knowing, and behaving. It' not just traditions and stories, ceremonies and survival knowledge passed down through the generations, but a different mindset, and Deb Vanasse gives us an intriguing glimpse of it.
  
  The book also captures Kate's amazing adaptability and the waves of wealth and poverty in her life—often not a poverty or wealth of gold.
  
  In addition to Kate and George, unique characters from history people the pages, bringing to life the history of the Klondike Gold Rush and the often skimmed-over years before and after.
  
  In some parts the timeline jumps around a little for creativity's sake which makes it hard to keep track of the order of events. For people like me, who have difficulty remembering dates, it would have been useful to have a few more references to the length between events ("Five years after event X…") instead of assuming the readers remember. To help keep the secondary characters straight, I would have enjoyed an appendix with a list of important people. Otherwise, the writing is clear and engaging, and I learned a lot.
  
  The book is well-researched and documented, with fascinating snippets from original sources, sometimes complete with all their historical bigotry. The extensive end notes add even more detail to the book.
  
  Kate Carmack's life makes for very interesting reading, especially in the hands of an author like Deb Vanasse. If you want to learn more about Kate Carmack, life in the wilds of Alaska and Canada in the late 1800s, the Klondike Gold Rush, and the aftermath of the bonanza, read Wealth Woman.
  
• 
  Bettie

  Bit suspicious of the 5* rating and one hidden review - it is turning me off reading.