They Saw the Elephant: Women in the California Gold Rush"The phrase ’seeing the elephant’ symbolized for ’49 gold rushers the exotic, the mythical, the once-in-a-lifetime adventure, unequaled anywhere else but in the journey to the promised land of fortune: California. Most western myths . . . generally depict an exclusively male gold rush. Levy’s book debunks that myth. Here a variety of women travel, work, and write their way across the pages of western migrant history."-Choice "One of the best and most comprehensive accounts of gold rush life to date"ˆ–San Francisco Chronicle |
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Ah Toy Alta Alta California American appeared arrived Bates beautiful Belle Cora Biddy Biddy Mason boardinghouse cabin California CALIFORNIA STATE LIBRARY Chagres Chinese Church Cooke crossed the Isthmus dance daughter death desert Despite diary died divorce Downieville dress Eastman ELEANOR MCCLATCHY Eliza Farnham emigrants female forty-niner Frémont French friends Frink Georgiana girl gold rush Grass Valley Gunn Hambleton hundred dollars husband Indian Jennie Megquier Jenny Lind Jessie John journey Kirby ladies letter lived Lola Montez looking Louisa Clapp Lucy Luzena Wilson Margaret married Mary Marysville miles miners mining camp Miss months mule Nancy Kelsey Nevada City night overland Panama City passengers performances pioneer prostitutes River Sacramento San Francisco Sarah ship sister Smith Sonora Sophia steamer street Susanna Theatre took town trail travelers Valley wagons weeks wife William woman women wrote young


