Nellie Cashman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nellie Cashman
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Ellen Cashman
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Ellen Cashman
25 August 1845 Midleton, County Cork, Ireland
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| Died | 4 January 1925 (aged 79) Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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| Occupation | Nurse, restaurateur, entrepreneur, and gold prospector |
| Spouse(s) | Never married |
| Children | Reared five nieces and nephews |
Ellen Cashman (1845 – 1925) was a brave and kind Irish woman. She was a nurse, a restaurateur (someone who owns restaurants), a businesswoman, and a philanthropist (someone who helps others). She lived and worked in places like Arizona, Alaska, British Columbia, and Yukon.
Ellen Cashman was known for her courage. She once led a rescue team to save miners trapped in a snowstorm in the Cassiar Mountains of British Columbia. This earned her the nickname "Angel of the Cassiar." In Tombstone, Arizona, she helped raise money to build the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. She also did a lot of charity work. Later, she joined the Klondike Gold Rush in the Yukon, searching for gold until 1905. She became famous across the country as a tough and caring frontierswoman.
In 2006, Ellen Cashman was honored by being added to the Alaska Mining Hall of Fame.
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Early Life and Moves
Ellen Cashman, also known as "Nellie," was born in Midleton, County Cork, Ireland, around the mid-1840s. Some records say she was born in 1844, while others point to her baptism on October 15, 1845. Her family lived on Free School Lane.
Around 1850, Ellen moved to the United States with her mother and sister, Frances (Fanny). They first settled in Boston. As a teenager, Ellen worked as a bellhop in a Boston hotel. In 1865, she and her family moved to San Francisco, California.
Hero in British Columbia
In 1874, Ellen Cashman left her family in San Francisco. She traveled to the Cassiar Country in British Columbia, a place known for gold mining. There, she opened a boarding house for miners at Telegraph Creek. She asked for donations to the Sisters of St Anne in return for her services.
While traveling to Victoria to deliver $500 to the Sisters of St. Anne, she heard terrible news. A big snowstorm had hit the Cassiar Mountains. About 26 miners were stranded, injured, and suffering from a sickness called scurvy. Ellen immediately took charge. She gathered a six-man search party, along with food and medicine.
The conditions in the Cassiar Mountains were so dangerous that the Canadian Army warned against any rescue attempts. When an army commander learned about Ellen's mission, he sent his troops to find her and bring her to safety. An army trooper eventually found Ellen camped on the frozen Stikine River. After 77 days of harsh weather, Ellen and her group found the sick miners. There were many more than 26 men. Some stories say she saved as many as 75 lives! She gave them food rich in Vitamin C to help them get better. After this amazing rescue, she was lovingly called the "Angel of the Cassiar."
Life in Arizona
Around 1880, Ellen Cashman moved to Tombstone, Arizona. She helped raise money to build the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. She also dedicated herself to charity work with the Sisters of St. Joseph. She worked as a nurse in a hospital in Cochise County. At the same time, she opened another restaurant and boarding house.
In 1881, her sister Fanny Cunningham became a widow. Ellen arranged for Fanny and her five children to move to nearby Tucson, Arizona. Sadly, Fanny died in 1884 from tuberculosis. Ellen then took on the responsibility of raising her five nieces and nephews.
In December 1883, a robbery in Tombstone led to the deaths of four innocent people. Five men were found guilty and sentenced to be hanged on March 28, 1884. The hangings happened away from public view. When Ellen learned that a medical school planned to dig up the bodies for study, she acted. She asked two prospectors to guard the Boot Hill Cemetery for 10 days to prevent this.
Ellen Cashman also co-owned and ran a restaurant and hotel in Tombstone with her partner, Joseph Pascholy. This place was called Russ House and is now known as The Nellie Cashman Restaurant.
Adventures in Yukon and Alaska
In 1898, Ellen Cashman left Arizona and headed to the Yukon to search for gold. She stayed there until 1905. Her gold prospecting adventures took her to places like Klondike, Fairbanks, and Nolan Creek in Yukon-Koyukuk County, Alaska. She later owned a store in Dawson City, Yukon. Eventually, she settled in Koyukuk, Alaska, among other experienced miners.
In January 1925, Ellen became ill with pneumonia and rheumatism. Her friends took her to the Sisters of St. Anne hospital. This was the same hospital she had helped build more than 50 years earlier. She passed away there and was buried at Ross Bay Cemetery in Victoria, British Columbia.
Honors and Legacy
Ellen Cashman's incredible life has been remembered in many ways:
- From 1959 to 1960, the ABC western television series, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, featured a character based on Nellie Cashman. She was played by actress Randy Stuart.
- Grace Lee Whitney played Ellen Cashman in an episode called "The Angel of Tombstone" from the TV series Death Valley Days.
- On October 18, 1994, Ellen Cashman was featured on a United States postage stamp as part of the Legends of the West series.
- On March 15, 2006, Nellie Cashman was honored by being added to the Alaska Mining Hall of Fame.
- In 2007, she was inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, Texas.
- In June 2014, a monument in Nellie's honor was built near her home in Midleton, County Cork, Ireland.
Images for kids
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Ellen Cashman
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Nellie Cashman's Hotel in Tombstone
