Kate Carmack
Encyclopedia
Shaaw Tláa, also known as Kate Carmack (c.
1862 – 29 March 1920) was a Tagish
First Nation woman born near Bennett Lake. She lived with her parents, and seven sisters and brothers, near Carcross, Yukon
. Her father, Kaachgaawáa, was the head of the Tlingit crow clan, while her mother, Gus’dutéen, was a member of the Tagish wolf clan. Her name in Tlingit
means "gumboot
mother".
(Skookum Jim Mason), and nephew, Dawson Charlie
(Káa Goox) started a packing, hunting, and prospecting partnership with George Washington Carmack, an American. She became Carmack's common-law wife within the year. She took the name Kate Carmack.
Beginning in 1889, and for the next six years, the couple lived in the Forty Mile region. Carmack prospected, trapped, and traded, while Shaaw Tláa made winter clothing that she sold to miners. They had one daughter, Graphie Grace Carmack (born 1893, Fort Selkirk - 29 March 1920, Carcross).
at the mouth of the Klondike River
in August 1896, when a party led by her brother, and including two nephews, came looking for her. The party then discovered gold in Rabbit Creek (later renamed Bonanza Creek
), setting in motion the Klondike Gold Rush
. Some accounts claim that Kate made the actual discovery.
After becoming wealthy, the Carmacks moved near Hollister, California
to live with Carmack's sister, Rose Watson (later Rose Curtis). Subsequently, Carmack left California, Kate, Graphie, and his former partners. Kate and Graphie stayed with Rose.
Carmack married Marguerite Laimee in 1900, in Olympia, Washington. Kate, unable to prove she was Carmack's lawful wife, entitled to alimony, returned to Carcross in July 1901.
that were run by Bishop William Carpenter Bompas, before Graphie moved to Seattle, Washington
.
She died of influenza during the Worldwide influenza epidemic of 1918-1920 in Carcross.
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
1862 – 29 March 1920) was a Tagish
Tagish
The Tagish or Tagish Khwáan are a group of Athabaskan First Nation people that lived around Tagish Lake and Marsh Lake, in the Yukon Territory of Canada. Tagish people intermarried heavily with Tlingit people from the coast and the Tagish language is almost extinct...
First Nation woman born near Bennett Lake. She lived with her parents, and seven sisters and brothers, near Carcross, Yukon
Carcross, Yukon
Carcross, originally known as Caribou Crossing, is an unincorporated community in the Territory of Yukon, Canada on Bennett Lake and Nares Lake. It has a population of 431 and is home to the Carcross/Tagish First Nation....
. Her father, Kaachgaawáa, was the head of the Tlingit crow clan, while her mother, Gus’dutéen, was a member of the Tagish wolf clan. Her name in Tlingit
Tlingit language
The Tlingit language ) is spoken by the Tlingit people of Southeast Alaska and Western Canada. It is a branch of the Na-Dené language family. Tlingit is very endangered, with fewer than 140 native speakers still living, all of whom are bilingual or near-bilingual in English...
means "gumboot
Gumboot chiton
The gumboot chiton, Cryptochiton stelleri, also known as the giant pacific chiton, is the largest of the chitons, growing to 36 cm and over 2000 grams. It is found along the shores of the northern Pacific Ocean from Central California to Alaska, across the Aleutian Islands to the...
mother".
Early years
As a young woman, she married her first cousin, Kult’ús. In the early 1880s, her husband and their infant daughter died of influenza in Alaska, at which time Shaaw Tláa returned to her village. It was here, in 1887, that Shaaw Tláa's brother, KeishKeish
Keish , better known by his English name Skookum Jim Mason, was a Canadian native part of the Tagish First Nation in what became the Yukon Territory of Canada...
(Skookum Jim Mason), and nephew, Dawson Charlie
Dawson Charlie
Dawson Charlie or K̲áa Goox̱ [qʰáː kuːχ] was a Canadian Tagish/Tlingit First Nation person and one of the co-discoverers of gold that led to the Klondike Gold Rush located in the Yukon territory of Northwest Canada. He was the nephew of Skookum Jim Mason and accompanied him on his search for his...
(Káa Goox) started a packing, hunting, and prospecting partnership with George Washington Carmack, an American. She became Carmack's common-law wife within the year. She took the name Kate Carmack.
Beginning in 1889, and for the next six years, the couple lived in the Forty Mile region. Carmack prospected, trapped, and traded, while Shaaw Tláa made winter clothing that she sold to miners. They had one daughter, Graphie Grace Carmack (born 1893, Fort Selkirk - 29 March 1920, Carcross).
Gold discovery
Kate and her husband were fishing for salmonSalmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
at the mouth of the Klondike River
Klondike River
The Klondike River is a tributary of the Yukon River in Canada that gave its name to the Klondike Gold Rush. The Klondike River has its source in the Ogilvie Mountains and flows into the Yukon River at Dawson City....
in August 1896, when a party led by her brother, and including two nephews, came looking for her. The party then discovered gold in Rabbit Creek (later renamed Bonanza Creek
Bonanza Creek
Bonanza Creek is a watercourse in Yukon Territory, Canada. It runs for about from King Solomon's Dome to the Klondike River. In the last years of the 19th century and the early 20th century, Bonanza Creek was the center of the Klondike Gold Rush, which attracted tens of thousands of prospectors to...
), setting in motion the Klondike Gold Rush
Klondike Gold Rush
The Klondike Gold Rush, also called the Yukon Gold Rush, the Alaska Gold Rush and the Last Great Gold Rush, was an attempt by an estimated 100,000 people to travel to the Klondike region the Yukon in north-western Canada between 1897 and 1899 in the hope of successfully prospecting for gold...
. Some accounts claim that Kate made the actual discovery.
After becoming wealthy, the Carmacks moved near Hollister, California
Hollister, California
Hollister is a city in and the county seat of San Benito County, California, United States. The population was 34,928 at the 2010 census. Hollister is primarily an agricultural town.-History:...
to live with Carmack's sister, Rose Watson (later Rose Curtis). Subsequently, Carmack left California, Kate, Graphie, and his former partners. Kate and Graphie stayed with Rose.
Carmack married Marguerite Laimee in 1900, in Olympia, Washington. Kate, unable to prove she was Carmack's lawful wife, entitled to alimony, returned to Carcross in July 1901.
Later years
Keish built her a cabin near his, and daughter, Graphie attended mission and residential schools in Carcross and WhitehorseWhitehorse, Yukon
Whitehorse is Yukon's capital and largest city . It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1476 on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas occupy both shores of the Yukon River, which originates in British Columbia and meets the Bering Sea in...
that were run by Bishop William Carpenter Bompas, before Graphie moved to Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
.
She died of influenza during the Worldwide influenza epidemic of 1918-1920 in Carcross.