But Matt Falber is no historian; his account is highly coloured, and factually inaccurate. According to his website, mattfalber. Had he done any research at all, Falber would have quickly learned that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police did not receive their title until the Royal Northwest Mounted Police merged with the Dominion Police in He would further have learned that Kate Ryan never stepped foot in the real Klondike, that is, Dawson City and the surrounding gold fields, where Kathleen Rockwell performed.
Yes, Kate Ryan was affiliated with the Mounted Police, but as a special constable, assigned to customs inspections of lady travellers, and as a matron whenever there was a female prisoner detained in the Whitehorse jail.
In any case, Ryan was visiting family in New Brunswick at the time that Henry was jailed. At first, its usage is associated with ladies and events of questionable reputation, but in , author Harry Leon Wilson published the novel, Ruggles of Red Gap , which includes a character named Klondike Kate.
The book became a best-seller, and was quickly adapted for the stage. Actress Leonore Harris played the role of Klondike Kate in the Manhattan production the fall of , and Edna Phillips Holmes starred in the same role in the screen version released by Essanay Films in Kate seems to disappear as a character in the talkie remake of the film, starring Charles Laughton.
It then became a group effort so that many more of the requested demands for appearances could be fulfilled. Starting in , the casino became known as Klondike Kate Cabaret. Today the members of the Royal Order of Klondike Kates make well over appearances a year. The current group of active members will participate in approximately twenty parades over the summer months where they sing live on the award-winning float. Students are limited to the technology of the time, as well as what they can carry i.
Kitti Rockwell created a lot of problems for Kate Ryan. She was able to take on Kate's identity because of the distance between them. Have students play a game of broken telephone to illustrate the poor communication that existed in the early twentieth century.
Call on students to examine some of the important decisions that Kate had to make during her life and during her trip. Would they have made the same decisions? What would your students have done differently if they were in Kate Ryan's shoes? Ask your students to write two letters home. One should assume the identity of a female and one of a male making the trip to the Klondike. Have students describe the conditions they would have faced e.
Is Kate Ryan a hero? Divide the class into groups to discuss this notion with respect to her role in the NWMP, as a feminist, and as a suffragette. Create a propaganda piece for a local newspaper, either reporting on the success of the Klondike Gold Rush, or advertising claims for sale. Consider the kind of language that would have been used to get the public excited. Be creative, use tea bags to "age" the paper, or singe the edges!
Create an artifact from one part of Kate's journey and write a short paragraph about your artifact, mentioning why it was important to Kate, and how she might have used it.
Examples might include a mining permit, a nurses cap, a recipe collection, a ship's passage ticket, or a list of supplies she would need heading to the Klondike.
You are Katherine Ryan, and have just arrived in the Klondike. Write a letter to your sister in Seattle or your parents back home in Johnville. Describe your journey and talk about how it feels to be the only woman in the cold and isolated land.
Kate wore may hats in her lifetime. Select one of Kate's many "jobs" prospector, nurse, mother, law enforcer with the North West Mounted Police, restauranteur, fundraiser for the Red Cross, etc.
Note any challenges associated with this outfit. As a prospector Katherine Ryan wore about 35 pounds of woolen and leather clothing, travelling 12 - 16 hours a day over rough terrain. Also keep in mind that women wore skirts and dresses during this time period!
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