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Golddigger: The Legendary Nellie Cashman
Nellie Cashman was a woman ahead of her time – independent, resourceful and adventurous, flinging away the restricting conventions of her day. Still, all who met her became intrigued by this determined petite Irishwoman who became known as the Angel of the Cassiar, the Miner’s Angel, the Saint of the Klondike, and few ever forgot their encounters with her. Fueled by gold fever, she traveled the West, and her reputation grew with every restaurant, boardinghouse and store she established to support herself while she hunted the elusive yellow mineral, all while raising her beloved sister’s five children. From San Francisco to Tombstone, Mexico and British Columbia, her notoriety grew, finally taking her to the place she loved best – the farthest reaches of Alaska Territory. She never grew rich from her endeavors, because she gave most of her money away to build hospitals, schools and churches everywhere she went, always taking care of anyone who needed a helping hand. “Golddigger” is a testament to Nellie – bringing to life this woman who gave life and hope to so many others. Including never before seen photographs and documents from Nellie’s family, Kathleen Morris paints a definitive and honest portrait of Nellie Cashman – philanthropist, adventurer, and a woman of substance like no other.
336 pages, Hardcover
Published January 31, 2023
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June 27, 2023
Book Review for: “Golddigger: The Legendary Nellie Cashman.” By Kathleen Morris. Published 2023.
I was given an advanced copy of this book from Blue Cottage Agency as one of their book reviewers.
#NellieCashman was born in Ireland in 1866, 100 years before I was born - so that was interesting to me right off the bat. What I really liked about Nellie throughout the book was her sense of adventure. Most of the things that she did were against the conventions of her day.
She had this all consuming draw to go explore new adventures until she found what she was looking for, even though she didn’t even know most of the time. She and her sister, along with their Mother made the courageous move to leave Ireland for America to escape the Cholera epidemic.
As a small business owner, I really liked her entrepreneurial spirit. One of her first jobs was working in a shoe factory, that connection really helped her out later on. Nellie one day decided it was time to go on her quest, which led her to one interesting adventure after another.
She quickly recognized in the Wild West Gold Mining towns that she could make a more steady profit by supplying the miners with supplies (including boots); she started hotels for the people coming to town for prospecting; she also operated restaurants to feed them. She was quite successful. Between the gold and the business revenue, she did really well and would give much of the profit to help build churches, and hospitals. She was a person that really wanted to help those in need. An interesting thing about her was that everywhere she went, she did fundraising for the church and hospital building - she figured everyone in town would need either or both places at one time or another.
She crossed paths with several historical figures including the Erp brothers! She became a legend everywhere she went with nicknames like: “Angel of the Cassiar”, the “Miner’s Angel”, and the “Saint of the Klondike.”
She seems to have developed a system of living that worked for her in every location she went to, and it worked each time. It was inspiring.
At one point she ended up raising her sisters five children after the sister passed away. That part kept her in one place for a while, but the Gold Fever never left her and she continued to chase it now to support the kids and her business.
Her adventures took her to San Francisco, Tombstone, Mexico, British Columbia; and into the deep areas of Alaska Territory.
It was a really fun story to read. And like I mentioned before it was even inspiring for me in some ways.
#golddigger #kathleenmorrisauthor #goldfever #BlueCottageAgency #WesternWritersOfAmerica
I was given an advanced copy of this book from Blue Cottage Agency as one of their book reviewers.
#NellieCashman was born in Ireland in 1866, 100 years before I was born - so that was interesting to me right off the bat. What I really liked about Nellie throughout the book was her sense of adventure. Most of the things that she did were against the conventions of her day.
She had this all consuming draw to go explore new adventures until she found what she was looking for, even though she didn’t even know most of the time. She and her sister, along with their Mother made the courageous move to leave Ireland for America to escape the Cholera epidemic.
As a small business owner, I really liked her entrepreneurial spirit. One of her first jobs was working in a shoe factory, that connection really helped her out later on. Nellie one day decided it was time to go on her quest, which led her to one interesting adventure after another.
She quickly recognized in the Wild West Gold Mining towns that she could make a more steady profit by supplying the miners with supplies (including boots); she started hotels for the people coming to town for prospecting; she also operated restaurants to feed them. She was quite successful. Between the gold and the business revenue, she did really well and would give much of the profit to help build churches, and hospitals. She was a person that really wanted to help those in need. An interesting thing about her was that everywhere she went, she did fundraising for the church and hospital building - she figured everyone in town would need either or both places at one time or another.
She crossed paths with several historical figures including the Erp brothers! She became a legend everywhere she went with nicknames like: “Angel of the Cassiar”, the “Miner’s Angel”, and the “Saint of the Klondike.”
She seems to have developed a system of living that worked for her in every location she went to, and it worked each time. It was inspiring.
At one point she ended up raising her sisters five children after the sister passed away. That part kept her in one place for a while, but the Gold Fever never left her and she continued to chase it now to support the kids and her business.
Her adventures took her to San Francisco, Tombstone, Mexico, British Columbia; and into the deep areas of Alaska Territory.
It was a really fun story to read. And like I mentioned before it was even inspiring for me in some ways.
#golddigger #kathleenmorrisauthor #goldfever #BlueCottageAgency #WesternWritersOfAmerica
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March 24, 2023Kathleen Morris’s new book, Golddigger (Dunraven Press 2023), is a novel based on the life of Ellen “Nellie” Cashman, an American gold prospector. Cashman was born in Ireland in 1845, immigrated to the United States as a child, and died in Victoria, British Columbia at the age of 79.
Morris begins the tale of Nellie Cashman’s first-person account in 1866, when she, her sister and their mother are living in Boston. Nellie convinces them that they should leave the city for the clean air of the west and maybe do a little prospecting for gold on the side. Not long after they are settled in San Francisco, Nellie is ready to explore opportunities for more adventure despite her mother’s protest. Morris’s words illustrate this eloquently. “I kissed her cheek, the salt of her worried tears on my lips. I picked up my bag. ‘I have to see this for myself, mama. There’s a world of opportunity out there and I need to explore it.’”
It is evident that Morris did extensive research. I liked that she lets the reader see through Nellie’s eyes. As readers, we experience the trials and tribulations of mining in Tombstone, Cassiar, and the Yukon. Nellie is a force to be reckoned with as a businesswoman and a pure hearted philanthropist. We are swept from one mining community to another during the nearly six decades of Nellie’s active involvement. When not mining, she is setting up hospitals, building churches, and selling what the community needs.
The names of other famous individuals of the time like Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday are sprinkled in the story. “Our patient John Chaney had recovered enough to be on his way, and before he left he shook my hand. “Thank you, Nellie,” he said. “You saved my life. I’m going to write books about this place but I picked out a snappier name. What do you think about Jack London?” I agreed Jack London did sound more exciting than John Chaney and he seemed pleased, waving as he walked away.”
Although most of the story is from the point of view of Nellie, there are five short chapters from the voices of other characters. These vignettes are brief, and I would have liked to have read more from them, but they do shed light on Nellie’s genuine concern for others. She never turns away from a person needing food or medical attention and treats everyone as equals.
This book will appeal to readers of all ages, those who enjoy adventure and those who enjoy history. Certainly, anyone in search of a good novel about what gold mining was like at the turn of the century, will find a treasure in Golddigger.
Morris begins the tale of Nellie Cashman’s first-person account in 1866, when she, her sister and their mother are living in Boston. Nellie convinces them that they should leave the city for the clean air of the west and maybe do a little prospecting for gold on the side. Not long after they are settled in San Francisco, Nellie is ready to explore opportunities for more adventure despite her mother’s protest. Morris’s words illustrate this eloquently. “I kissed her cheek, the salt of her worried tears on my lips. I picked up my bag. ‘I have to see this for myself, mama. There’s a world of opportunity out there and I need to explore it.’”
It is evident that Morris did extensive research. I liked that she lets the reader see through Nellie’s eyes. As readers, we experience the trials and tribulations of mining in Tombstone, Cassiar, and the Yukon. Nellie is a force to be reckoned with as a businesswoman and a pure hearted philanthropist. We are swept from one mining community to another during the nearly six decades of Nellie’s active involvement. When not mining, she is setting up hospitals, building churches, and selling what the community needs.
The names of other famous individuals of the time like Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday are sprinkled in the story. “Our patient John Chaney had recovered enough to be on his way, and before he left he shook my hand. “Thank you, Nellie,” he said. “You saved my life. I’m going to write books about this place but I picked out a snappier name. What do you think about Jack London?” I agreed Jack London did sound more exciting than John Chaney and he seemed pleased, waving as he walked away.”
Although most of the story is from the point of view of Nellie, there are five short chapters from the voices of other characters. These vignettes are brief, and I would have liked to have read more from them, but they do shed light on Nellie’s genuine concern for others. She never turns away from a person needing food or medical attention and treats everyone as equals.
This book will appeal to readers of all ages, those who enjoy adventure and those who enjoy history. Certainly, anyone in search of a good novel about what gold mining was like at the turn of the century, will find a treasure in Golddigger.
March 15, 2023
Author Kathleen Morris has struck gold. With her gift of storytelling, meticulous attention to historical details, and well-developed characters she brings to life the legendary, and indomitable spirited Nellie Cashman in “Golddigger.” Her newest book is a standout. The story is narrated in the first person as Nellie sweeps the reader into an era of the old west. It's here on the western frontier she can live on her own terms. Nellie finds the freedom she always yearned for plus numerous opportunities to explore new places. Her obsession with gold and silver mining moves her adventures from remote places in the southwest to California into Yukon and Alaska.
She was a forward-thinking woman with a keen business sense that ultimately leads her to develop successful enterprises operating restaurants, boarding houses, and mining operations. Her establishments encouraged congeniality and friendships and fairness in her business dealings. Nellie realized she could learn from everyone she met no matter what culture they represented. Their stalwart support contributed to her prosperity.
Nellie's faith and her family were her anchors. Through her dedicated fundraising efforts, she generously donated to churches and hospitals.
When her widow sister passes away Nellie becomes the caretaker for five young children. She lovingly embraces her new role while trying to balance her wanderlust feelings. Morris includes at the end of the book actual photographs of the characters and a few personal letters Nellie has written.
I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy historical fiction with strong independent women living on the frontier and embracing all it has to offer. Morris excels at writing in this genre being able to fill in the spaces of a time period making it feel authentic for readers.
She was a forward-thinking woman with a keen business sense that ultimately leads her to develop successful enterprises operating restaurants, boarding houses, and mining operations. Her establishments encouraged congeniality and friendships and fairness in her business dealings. Nellie realized she could learn from everyone she met no matter what culture they represented. Their stalwart support contributed to her prosperity.
Nellie's faith and her family were her anchors. Through her dedicated fundraising efforts, she generously donated to churches and hospitals.
When her widow sister passes away Nellie becomes the caretaker for five young children. She lovingly embraces her new role while trying to balance her wanderlust feelings. Morris includes at the end of the book actual photographs of the characters and a few personal letters Nellie has written.
I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy historical fiction with strong independent women living on the frontier and embracing all it has to offer. Morris excels at writing in this genre being able to fill in the spaces of a time period making it feel authentic for readers.
February 28, 2023
Oh my gosh!
If I lived in the same time period as Nellie Cashman, I would have felt honored if I had ever met her. What an amazing life and a genuinely good person!
Kathleen Morris did an incredible job researching and writing this book. It was so fun to see photos at the end of the book. Hearing about Nellie and her non-traditional life was very entertaining, and not only was her life non-traditional for a female, but it was also dangerous. But she took the paths she took and made the choices that she did mostly to benefit others.
The book had one quote I really liked. "As they say, two can keep a secret if one of them is dead."-Nellie Cashman.
From caring for individuals to her sister's children and to her beloved dogs, Nellie Cashman was someone that was genuine and as pure as the gold that she mined.
If I lived in the same time period as Nellie Cashman, I would have felt honored if I had ever met her. What an amazing life and a genuinely good person!
Kathleen Morris did an incredible job researching and writing this book. It was so fun to see photos at the end of the book. Hearing about Nellie and her non-traditional life was very entertaining, and not only was her life non-traditional for a female, but it was also dangerous. But she took the paths she took and made the choices that she did mostly to benefit others.
The book had one quote I really liked. "As they say, two can keep a secret if one of them is dead."-Nellie Cashman.
From caring for individuals to her sister's children and to her beloved dogs, Nellie Cashman was someone that was genuine and as pure as the gold that she mined.
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May 7, 2023
Learning about Nellie Cashman and her experiences hunting for gold and building businesses in a time where women were not yet viewed as equal was exciting. I loved her tenacity and moral compass; that moral compass got her through quite a few downs in her life. While Nellie grew fond of many men in her life; though never really romantically, she never depended on one for survival and I found that quite inspiring. It is a shame that Nellie isn’t in our history books, but as a mom of daughters, I’ll be passing this book off to them so they can learn her name.
Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy to review.
Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy to review.
March 8, 2023
Right from the prologue to the end of the book had me intrigued. It is well written; the characters were vivid, memorable and believable. Nellie Cushman is a woman I only wish I could have been. I enjoy reading these types of books. There were several times I found tears in my eyes and felt everything she encountered. Loved it!
March 11, 2023
Looking for a good western read - follow Nellie on a quest for gold. A woman ahead of her time, where woman were expected to stay at home and take care of things. She was a woman who lived her life on her own terms!
February 28, 2023
Loved reading the real life story of this amazing woman, Nellie Cashman! Kathleen Morris did a wonderful job of portraying an extraordinary heroine! Very well written!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews