Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #217027 in Books
• Published on: 1992-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 265 pages

From Publishers Weekly
In the literature of the Gold Rush, women have been generally neglected. Freelance writer Levy here corrects that oversight with a colorful account of intrepid female argonauts--with and without men. She draws on letters, journals and reminiscences for a fresh view of western history. The women traveled overland, by ship round the Horn (one family survived three burning ships); they crossed the Isthmus of Panama by mule, and Nicaragua by steamship and mule. In California they ran boardinghouses, provided meals and laundry service for miners, and organized schools and churches. The cast of characters includes actresses and prostitutes, a stagecoach driver and ordinary women seeking to make a new home. Levy does for the Gold Rush what Lillian Schlissel did for the Plains emigrants in Women's Diaries of the Westward Journey . The book is a welcome addition to regional history as well as to women's studies. Illustrated.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
YA-- In this exciting and inspiring account of the women who helped settle California, Levy explores the leadership roles of those who contributed to the founding of businesses, towns, and mining camps. Photographs, letters, and diary accounts contribute to the realism of these adventures.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Not just another book about the California Gold Rush, this account of the over-looked "gold rushing women" makes a significant contribution to the scholarship of women's studies. Quoting from letters, diaries, and reminiscences, California native Levy skillfully weaves together the stories of two dozen women, re-creating the experience of thousands. Liberated from social restraints, the women Argonauts worked as "boarding house keepers and miners, missionaries and actresses, church builders and gamblers, school teachers and temperance speakers, even a Wells Fargo & Company stage driver." Devotees of Californiana will enjoy this adventure story. Scholars will value the extensive bibliography and the biographical postscripts.
- Virginia C. Parker, M.L.S., Logan, Ut.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

They Saw The Elephant
As a writer of both fiction and non-fiction, I found tremendous value in "They Saw The Elephant." For the general reader of non-fiction, this book reads like a novel! The stories of these valiant women grab the reader and never let go. You feel that you are with them, as they face the unknown perils and triumphs of the Gold Rush in California of the mid-19th Century. The words of these wonderful women have the special ring of Truth to them. I cannot overstate my admiration for the author and her work in presenting this important book.

One of the most amazing books I've ever read.
Well written, well researched, mesmerizing! There are not enough words to praise this book. It covers every aspect and type of life a woman could lead when she came West. It takes information from diaries and eyewitness accounts. It will make you realize that human feelings don't change. We can all relate to what these women felt. It doesn't read like a history book, it reads like a magnificent saga. I couldn't put it down.

I couldn't put it down!
Reading ³They Saw the Elephant² changed the way I think about historical narratives. JoAnn Levy¹s ³westering women² come alive through their own words and through her skillful weaving of their stories. They weren't just hookers and schoolmarms; they ran boarding houses and laundries, they mined for gold, and there was even one who drove a stagecoach for Wells, Fargo, & Co.! Excellently researched and a great read!