Saloons, Prostitutes, and Temperance in Alaska Territory. By Catherine Holder Spude.

Abstract

Saloons, Prostitutes, and Temperance in Alaska Territory . By Catherine Holder Spude . (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2015. xvii + 326 pp. Illustrations, maps, tables, appendices, notes, bibliography, index. $24.95.) Historians have long assumed that the arrival of middle-class women in Alaska and the Yukon began to change the culture of wide-open saloons, gambling, and prostitution that characterized the early gold rush days. However, to my knowledge, only anecdotal evidence exists for this thesis. Now Catherine Holder Spude has done solid research into the archives, the city records of Skagway, and territorial court records to provide voluminous background and documentation on this fascinating topic. She provides … jhaigh{at}kpc.alaska.edu