No Rest for the Weary

An unknown African American woman at her laundry and mending business. It was taken at an unidentified location in Alaska or the Yukon Territory sometime between 1897 and 1906.

While some women traveled to the gold fields with their husbands, others made the trip on their own. Women worked on mining claims, taught school, or set up businesses of their own. They did laundry, cooked meals, ran hotels and dance halls, and otherwise provided services to others in the community.

Seattle Historical Society/Museum of History & Industry