- 240 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
About this book
This true story of a concubine and the Gold Rush years "delves deep into the soul of the real old west" (Erik Larson).
"Once the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill launched our 'national madness,' the population of California exploded. Tens of thousands of Chinese, lured by tales of a 'golden mountain,' took passage across the Pacific. Among this massive influx were many young concubines who were expected to serve in the brothels sprouting up near the goldfields. One of them adopted the name of Polly Bemis, after an Idaho saloonkeeper, Charlie Bemis, won her in a poker game and married her. For decades the couple lived on an isolated, self-sufficient farm near the Salmon River in central Idaho. After her husband's death, Polly came down to a nearby town and gradually spoke of her experiences. Journalist Christopher Corbett movingly recounts Polly's story, integrating Polly's personal history into the broader picture of the history of the mass immigration of Chinese. As both a personal and social history, this is an admirable book." — Booklist
"A gorgeously written and brilliantly researched saga of America during the mad flush of its biggest Gold Rush. Christopher Corbett's genius is to anchor his larger story of Chinese immigration around a poor concubine named Polly. A tremendous achievement." —Douglas Brinkley
"Uses Bemis's story as a platform for a larger discussion about the hardships of the Chinese experience in the American West." — The Washington Post
"Once the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill launched our 'national madness,' the population of California exploded. Tens of thousands of Chinese, lured by tales of a 'golden mountain,' took passage across the Pacific. Among this massive influx were many young concubines who were expected to serve in the brothels sprouting up near the goldfields. One of them adopted the name of Polly Bemis, after an Idaho saloonkeeper, Charlie Bemis, won her in a poker game and married her. For decades the couple lived on an isolated, self-sufficient farm near the Salmon River in central Idaho. After her husband's death, Polly came down to a nearby town and gradually spoke of her experiences. Journalist Christopher Corbett movingly recounts Polly's story, integrating Polly's personal history into the broader picture of the history of the mass immigration of Chinese. As both a personal and social history, this is an admirable book." — Booklist
"A gorgeously written and brilliantly researched saga of America during the mad flush of its biggest Gold Rush. Christopher Corbett's genius is to anchor his larger story of Chinese immigration around a poor concubine named Polly. A tremendous achievement." —Douglas Brinkley
"Uses Bemis's story as a platform for a larger discussion about the hardships of the Chinese experience in the American West." — The Washington Post
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Yes, you can access The Poker Bride by Christopher Corbett in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & Social Science Biographies. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover Page
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- One Celestials and Sojourners
- Two Chinatown
- Three Sold
- Four Coming Into the Territory
- Five The End of the Road . . . Warrens
- Six Soiled Doves
- Seven Fond of Playing Cards
- Eight The Shooting Affray in Warrens
- Nine Saving Polly
- Ten Last Days on the River
- Epilogue The Caravan of the Dead: Ghosts of the Oro Fino
- Acknowledgments
- Bibliography