Women in the Gold Rush

Welcome to the Home Page of the women who "saw the elephant" -- the women of the California Gold Rush. Woman at Auburn Ravine. Photo courtesy California State Library

This page is sponsored by award-winning author and recognized authority on women in the gold rush, JoAnn Levy, whose book, They Saw the Elephant: Women in the California Gold Rush, was praised by the San Francisco Chronicle as "one of the best and most comprehensive accounts of gold rush life to date." Daughter of Joy, A Novel of Gold Rush San Francisco, inspired by the Chinese prostitute Ah Toy, won the 1999 WILLA award for Best Historical Fiction. A second novel, For California's Gold, received the prize in 2001, after debuting at the National Archives in Washington, DC, where JoAnn spoke in honor of Women's History Month and California's statehood sesquicentennial. JoAnn's newest venture, Unsettling the West, has received excellent reviews from both the San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles Times.

Unsettling the West A biography of two remarkable women.

For California's Gold Winner 2001 WILLA Award - Best Historical Fiction

Daughter of Joy Winner 1999 WILLA Award - Best Historical Fiction

They Saw the Elephant: Women in the California Gold Rush A University of Oklahoma Press bestseller

The Women Excerpts from diaries and letters

The Elephant What the expression means

Author JoAnn Levy Learn more about this award-winning author

The Gold Rush A list of annotated links to related sites

		Due to overwhelming unsolicited email, we no longer provide a direct email link. Please send JoAnn email by typing the address directly into your email program: joann(at)goldrush.com (replace the (at) with @)

Site designed and administered by Henry Mace.
© 1997 - 2004 JoAnn Levy & Henry Mace. All rights reserved.