Fannie Quigley (1870 – August 25, 1944) was an American

pioneer Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land. In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and dev ...

and

prospector Prospector may refer to: Space exploration * Prospector (spacecraft), a planned lunar probe, canceled in 1962 * ''Lunar Prospector'', a NASA spacecraft Trains * Prospector (train), a passenger train operated by the Denver & Rio Grande Western ra ...

and cook who became involved in mining operations during the Klondike Gold Rush. Living in the wilderness of what is now Denali National Park and Preserve in

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

, she was known for her hunting, trapping, and cooking skills.

Biography

Quigley was born Frances Sedlacek in

Wahoo, Nebraska Wahoo (; from Dakota ; " arrow wood") is a city and county seat of Saunders County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 4,508 at the 2010 census. History Wahoo was founded in 1870. The town's name comes from the eastern wahoo (''Euon ...

, in 1870. She left home and headed west at age 16, finding employment at work camps along the growing

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

. She continued her travels north during the Klondike Gold Rush, arriving in Dawson City, Yukon, in 1897. Quigley earned a living by cooking for prospectors; she would load up a sled with a

portable stove A portable stove is a cooking stove specially designed to be portable and lightweight, used in camping, picnicking, backpacking, or other use in remote locations where an easily transportable means of cooking or heating is needed. Portable stoves ...

and provisions, hike out to remote creeks where prospectors were often ill-prepared, and sell her meals from out of a tent. This work earned Quigley the nickname "Fannie the Hike". Quigley also began mining herself, and staked her first claim in Clear Creek in 1900. Quigley married her first husband, Angus McKenzie, in 1900. Together, they operated a roadhouse on Hunker Creek, near Gold Bottom. After a turbulent few years together, Quigley left her husband and hiked to Rampart, Alaska. In 1906, Quigley travelled to

Kantishna, Alaska Kantishna is an unincorporated community in Denali Borough, Alaska, United States, within Denali National Park and Preserve. Founded as a gold mining camp in 1905, it endured longer than similar communities in the area, having been constructed ...

, which people had recently begun mining. She staked 26 claims between 1907 and 1919. Quigley married her second husband,

Joe Quigley Joseph Richard Quigley (born 10 December 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Chesterfield. He was previously at AFC Bournemouth, and has played in the English Football League on loan at Gillingham and Newport County. ...

, in 1918, and they ran a mining operation together, leasing out their claims to miners. Fannie Quigley provided for the mining camp by hunting, trapping, and growing food in her garden, and became known as an extraordinary backcountry cook. Because the Quigleys' cabin was located en route for mountaineering expeditions to Mount McKinley (now

Denali Denali (; also known as Mount McKinley, its former official name) is the highest mountain peak in North America, with a summit elevation of above sea level. With a topographic prominence of and a topographic isolation of , Denali is the thir ...

), they hosted many visitors, including writer

Jack London John Griffith Chaney (January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to ...

. A practicing naturalist and nurse, Quigley went to work at the Nenana Hospital in Nenana, Alaska, in 1920, during the

Spanish flu pandemic The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...

. In 1937, the Quigleys' mining claims were leased to the Red Top Mining Company; the Quigleys split the income as part of their divorce settlement. After the divorce, Joe Quigley moved to Seattle and Fannie remained in Kantishna. Her cabin was now accessible by a road through Mount McKinley Park (previously, one could only access it by

dog sled A dog sled or dog sleigh is a sled pulled by one or more sled dogs used to travel over ice and through snow. Numerous types of sleds are used, depending on their function. They can be used for dog sled racing. Traditionally in Greenland and the e ...

or on foot), and she hosted park personnel and dignitaries in her home.

Death and legacy

Quigley died in her cabin in 1944 at age 73. Today, visitors can visit the remnants of her homestead, located in what is now Denali National Park and Preserve. Quigley was inducted into the Alaska Mining Hall of Fame in 2000. A biography by Jane G. Haigh, ''Searching for Fannie Quigley: A Wilderness Life in the Shadow of Mount McKinley,'' was published in 2007.

Biography

Death and legacy

References

Further reading