Remarkable Yukon Women

The Yukon is a mythic place: the land is vast and wild, the climate harsh and uncompromising, the people resourceful and resilient. Say the word "Yukon" and southerners still conjure up images of the rough and ready frontier: whiskered men in plaid shirts or parka-clad women wielding axes in the struggle for survival in a silent, isolated land. The truth is, you can find them here. But the Yukon holds more than one truth. Writer Patricia Robertson says, "The fact that it's young seems to attract really interesting, adventurous people who want something different and who are willing to take a risk." The stories in this book, shared by fifty women--"born here or came here"--attest to the enduring nature of the north and the evolving character of a dynamic community. The changes over time and the things that stay the same give a unique insight into the circumstances that make their lives different. Yukon women live lives similar to their counterparts down south: they are homemakers, doctors, teachers, run businesses and work in government. But how they live their lives in the Yukon is unique. As Robertson says, "You are pulled back to the elemental aspects of life. You can pretend in a city that you're in control but you know if your car breaks down between Whitehorse and Carcross at 40 below, you better hope somebody turns up or you're well prepared because you could die. The natural world is in charge and you are not." These stories paint a picture of what life was--and is--really like for Yukon women. It is an untold story that will deepen your understanding of how and why this remote frontier adds not just colour, but depth, sensitivity and strength to the Canadian story.

These brief biographies include a duchess, Queen Victoria's maid of honour, a governor's wife, a radical social reformer, a botanist, Louis Riel's grandmother, fur traders, a woman who masqueraded as a man. They lived in sod huts, log cabins, Government House and Klondike mining camps.-- Intro.

When the steamship Portland docked in Seattle harbour in 1897, a group of scruffy men and women dressed in rough northern garb walked down the gangplank. There was nothing remarkable about them, except they were dragging sacks stuffed with a half-million dollars` worth of gold. One of these travelers was Ethel Berry, who had helped mine of the richest claims in the Klondike. She was only one of the hundreds of women who joined the hordes of dreamers risking their lives in search of Yukon gold. Never before have the stories of these adventurous women been brought together. Women of the Klondike explores the critical roles women played during the gold rush. Frances Backhouse delves into the lives of these diverse individuals - entrepreneurs, miners, teachers, doctors, nurses, and journalists. Through diaries, letters, memoirs, newspaper accounts, and archival photographs, Backhouse presents an intimate look at women in the Klondike. " This lively work is an essential addition to the growing bookshelf of Klondike history. I read it with enormous interest. " - Pierre Berton

The life stories of three remarkable and gifted women of Athapaskan and Tlingit ancestry who were born in the southern Yukon Territory around the turn of the century - when storytelling provides a customary framework for discussing the past.

With in-depth and accurate coverage, this book pays tribute to the often unheralded efforts and acheivements of the historical women of Washington.

Perhaps the two most important conceptual breakthroughs in twentieth century physics are relativity and quantum mechanics. Developing a theory that combines the two seamlessly is a difficult and ongoing challenge. This accessible book contains intriguing explorations of this theme by the distinguished physicists Richard Feynman and Steven Weinberg. Richard Feynman's contribution examines the nature of antiparticles, and in particular the relationship between quantum spin and statistics. In his essay, Steven Weinberg speculates on how Einstein's theory of gravitation might be reconciled with quantum theory in the final laws of physics. Both these Nobel laureates have made huge contributions to fundamental research in physics, as well as to the popularization of science. Anyone interested in the development of modern physics will find this a fascinating book.

More than Petticoats: Remarkable Montana Women, 2nd Edition celebrates the women who shaped the Treasure State. Short, illuminating biographies and archival photographs and paintings tell the stories of women from across the state who served as teachers, writers, entrepreneurs, and artists.

This volume makes available the full range of the American/Canadian musical experience, covering-for the first time in print-all major regions, ethnic groups, and traditional and popular contexts. From musical comedy to world beat, from the songs of the Arctic to rap and house music, from Hispanic Texas to the Chinese communities of Vancouver, the coverage captures the rich diversity and continuities of the vibrant music we hear around us. Special attention is paid to recent immigrant groups, to Native American traditions, and to such socio-musical topics as class, race, gender, religion, government policy, media, and technology.