During the frenzied Klondike Gold Rush, many daring women ventured north to seek riches and adventure or to escape a troubled past. These unforgettable, strong-willed women defied the social conventions of the time and endured heartbreak and horrific conditions to build a life in the wild North. At the height of the gold rush, Martha Purdy, Nellie Cashman, Ethel Berry and a few hundred other women were conquering what came to be called the Trail of '98—a route that proved to be an impossible ordeal for many men. From renowned reporter Faith Fenton and successful entrepreneur Belinda Mulrooney to Mae Field, "The Doll of Dawson," and other "citizens of the demimonde," the Klondike's rebel women bring an intriguing new perspective to gold-rush history.

The women in these stories did the unthinkable for their time: they followed their own paths, flouting convention and daring to break from the traditions of family and marriage. They chose a life outside the norm, a decision for which most paid dearly. Nell Shipman was overlooked because she was not as acquiescent as required; she opened an independent production company just when the major Hollywood studios began exerting their power. Isobel Gunn, once revealed to be a woman, lost her livelihood and her respectability. And almost everyone scorned Mother Caroline Fulham. In Rebel Women, you’ll discover women who faced conflict, adversity and doubt to follow their dreams.

In 1897, tens of thousands of would-be prospectors flooded into the Yukon in search of instant wealth during the Klondike Gold Rush. In this historical tale of mayhem and obsession, characters like prospectors George Carmack and Skookum Jim, Skagway gangster Soapy Smith and Mountie Sam Steele come to life. Enduring savage weather, unforgiving terrain, violence and starvation, a lucky few made their fortune, and some just as quickly lost it. The lure of the North is still irresistible in this exciting account of a fabled era of Canadian history.

Here are the stories of singularly courageous West Coast women—driven, obsessed, sometimes desperate people whose nonconformist beliefs and actions made them rebels in society’s eyes. Many faced hardship and ridicule as they pursued their goals. In these vivid biographies, Rich Mole chronicles the lives of some of the most celebrated and controversial women in BC, Washington and Oregon, including: pioneer Catherine Schubert, who faced danger and starvation on her heroic journey west; ballot-box rebel Abigail Scott Duniway, who endured poverty and scathing criticism during her fight for women’s suffrage; Irene “Bonnie” Baird, who disguised herself as a nurse to write an exposé of their ordeals of Depression-era protesters; complex and contradictory doctor Bethenia Owens-Adair, who broke gender barriers yet is also remembered for a more tragic legacy. By demanding equality and respect in lecture halls, shipyards, government assemblies and operating theatres, these women helped shape the society we live in today.

From the days of the fur trade, one constant thread weaves its way through the tumultuous history of frontier British Columbia, Washington and Oregon--the war over liquor. Between 1840 and 1917, the whisky wars of the west coast were fought by historical heavyweights, including Matthew Baillie Begbie (the "Hanging Judge") and Wyatt Earp, and a contentious assortment of murderous whisky traders, angry Natives, corrupt policemen, patronage-loving politicians and trigger-happy drunks. Liquor was a serious and life-threatening issue in 19th-century west coast settlements. In 1864 Victoria, there were at least 149 drinking establishments to serve a thirsty population of only 6,500. Despite various prohibition efforts, the trade in alcohol flourished. Recreating British gunboat arrests, the evangelistic fervour of Billy Sunday and the tireless crusade of the Anti-Saloon League, author Rich Mole chronicles the first tempestuous and tragic struggles for and against having a drink in the Pacific Northwest.

Here are the stories of those fascinatingly diverse women -- entrepreneurs, domestics, nuns, doctors, nurses, and journalists -- who played a critical role in the Klondike gold rush at the turn of the century.