Nellie Cashman stands as one of the Old West’s most extraordinary figures, a pioneering female entrepreneur, astute prospector, and an unwavering ‘angel of mercy.’ Her remarkable life saw her traverse the rugged frontier mining camps, establishing businesses, seeking fortune, and leaving an indelible mark through her profound charity, indomitable courage, and sheer determination. The story of Nellie Cashman is not just a tale of adventure, but a testament to a spirit that defied conventions and continually championed the welfare of others.
Born Ellen Cashman in Queenstown, County Cork, Ireland, in 1845 to Patrick Cashman and Frances “Fanny” Cronin, her early life was marked by hardship. Following the death of her father when she was just five years old, Nellie, her sister Fanny, and their mother immigrated to the United States during the devastating potato famine. This early experience of displacement and struggle likely forged the resilience that would define her future.
From East Coast Beginnings to the Lure of the West
The Cashman family first settled in bustling Boston before relocating to Washington, D.C. It was there that Nellie secured her first employment as a lift operator in a hotel, a position that placed her at the nexus of Civil War politics and prominent figures. On one memorable occasion, she even encountered General Ulysses S. Grant, who, perhaps sensing her adventurous spirit, encouraged her to seek opportunities in the West. Heeding Grant’s counsel, the family soon journeyed to San Francisco, California, sometime between 1865 and 1869. While her sister Fannie married and began a family, the adventurous Nellie found herself captivated by the exciting stories of the gold rushes. She quickly secured work as a cook in various burgeoning Nevada mining camps, including Virginia City and Pioche, immersing herself in the vibrant, often chaotic, world of frontier prospecting.
An Entrepreneurial Spirit and a Miner’s Friend
With careful frugality, Nellie Cashman saved her earnings and, in 1872, opened the Miner’s Boarding House at Panaca Flat, Nevada. This venture marked her emergence as a formidable businesswoman. She quickly earned a reputation not only for her culinary skills but also for her deep empathy, frequently providing food and lodging to penniless miners without charge. Contemporaries described her as possessing a unique blend of elegance and toughness: “Pretty as a Victorian cameo and, when necessary, tougher than two-penny nails.” These early Nevada camps were merely the beginning of her extensive travels, always combining shrewd business acumen with her unwavering dedication to the well-being of the miners.
The Daring Rescue in the Cassiar Mountains
In 1874, the discovery of gold in the remote Cassiar Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, beckoned. Nellie, never one to shy from adventure, joined a throng of 200 Nevada miners heading northward. At Telegraph Creek, she promptly established another boarding house, once again extending her care to miners, nursing the ill, and offering assistance where needed. A devout Catholic, Nellie initiated a fundraising drive for the Sisters of St. Anne in Victoria to construct a much-needed hospital, receiving grateful support from those she had helped.
Later, upon traveling to Victoria to deliver a substantial $500 in donations for what would become St. Joseph’s Hospital, she received harrowing news: 26 miners were stranded and suffering in a blizzard in the treacherous Cassiar Mountains. Without hesitation, she organized a perilous rescue expedition. Leading six men and several pack animals laden with 1,500 pounds of vital supplies, Nellie set off into the unforgiving wilderness. The conditions were so extreme that even the seasoned Canadian Army had deemed a rescue impossible. Upon learning of her mission, military commanders dispatched troops to intercept and retrieve her and her party, fearing for their lives. Yet, when found, Nellie adamantly refused to turn back, vowing not to abandon the stranded miners.
Her relentless journey spanned an astonishing 77 days, often requiring her party to trudge through more than ten feet of snow. She eventually located the men, discovering their numbers far exceeded the initial report, with over 75 individuals suffering from severe scurvy. Through her tireless efforts, she nursed them back to health, providing essential Vitamin C-rich diets, a testament to her medical knowledge and extraordinary endurance. This legendary act solidified her reputation as the “Angel of the Cassiar.”
Arizona’s Silver Boom and Tombstone’s Angel
When the Cassiar gold strike eventually diminished, Nellie migrated to the booming silver fields of Arizona in 1879. She first settled in Tucson, where she opened the Delmonico Restaurant, notably the first business in town owned by a woman. Despite often generously giving food away to the hungry, her enterprise thrived. Her stay in Tucson was brief, however, as the allure of a new silver rush drew her to the vibrant, and notoriously lawless, town of Tombstone in 1880.
In Tombstone, she briefly managed a boot and shoe store before establishing the renowned Russ House Restaurant. Local lore recounts a humorous incident where a customer dared to complain about Nellie’s cooking. Legend has it that the infamous Doc Holliday, a regular patron, was present. Drawing his sidearm, Holliday reputedly asked the embarrassed customer to repeat his critique, to which the man hastily revised, “Best I ever ate.” This anecdote, whether entirely true or embellished, speaks volumes about Cashman’s standing in the rough-and-tumble town.
Her humanitarian work in Tombstone was extensive. She tirelessly raised funds to construct the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, even convincing the owners of the Crystal Palace Saloon to host Sunday services until the church was completed. Her charitable endeavors extended to supporting the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, the Miner’s Hospital, and countless miners facing destitution. Her boundless compassion earned her the revered title, “Angel of Mercy.”
A Stand Against Injustice and New Family Responsibilities
In 1881, tragedy struck when her brother-in-law passed away, leaving her sister Fannie with five children. Without hesitation, Nellie invited her sister and nieces and nephews to join her in Tombstone, readily assuming responsibility for her extended family.
A pivotal moment demonstrating Nellie’s unwavering moral compass occurred in December 1883. Five killers committed a horrific robbery in Bisbee, resulting in four deaths. These men, participants in the infamous Bisbee Massacre, were swiftly apprehended, tried, and sentenced to hang in Tombstone on March 8, 1884. However, the impending execution transformed the town into a disturbing carnival-like atmosphere, with tickets issued for the event and opportunistic businessmen erecting bleachers around the gallows to sell additional viewing spots.
Nellie was profoundly outraged by this grotesque spectacle. Believing that no death, regardless of the crime, should be celebrated, she befriended the condemned convicts, visiting them frequently and offering spiritual solace. She vehemently pleaded with Sheriff Ward to impose a curfew on the town during the hangings, successfully preventing the vast majority of eager spectators from witnessing the event. After the execution, the men were buried in Tombstone’s Boot Hill cemetery. Upon learning of a plan to rob the graves for a medical school study, Cashman was once again incensed. She hired two prospectors to guard the graves for ten days, ensuring the bodies remained undisturbed, where they rest to this day.
Later that year, when a mob of disgruntled miners attempted to lynch mine owner E.B. Gage during a labor dispute, Nellie once again displayed her fearlessness. She bravely drove her buggy directly into the throng, rescued Gage, and spirited him away to safety in Benson, Arizona.
Continued Wanderings and a Lasting Legacy
After an unsuccessful gold expedition to Baja, California, further sorrow arrived with the death of her widowed sister Fannie from tuberculosis. This left Nellie as the sole guardian of her five nieces and nephews. In 1886, she sold the Russ House and departed Tombstone with the children in tow. Their journey took them through numerous Arizona towns, including Nogales, Jerome, Prescott, Yuma, and Harqua Hala, where she continued to open restaurants and engage in part-time prospecting. Her wanderings expanded to other mining camps in Wyoming, Montana, and New Mexico. Remarkably, under her loving and determined care, all five children flourished, growing into successful, productive citizens despite their nomadic upbringing.
When the legendary Klondike Gold Rush exploded in 1898, Nellie, ever drawn to the frontier’s call, headed to the Yukon. In Dawson City, she established yet another successful restaurant and mercantile, consistently offering aid and support to the struggling miners. By 1904, she moved to Fairbanks, Alaska, opening a grocery store while simultaneously acquiring and working mining claims in the region. Her life was a continuous cycle of entrepreneurship, philanthropy, and prospecting.
Nellie Cashman finally settled in Victoria, British Columbia, in 1923. In January 1925, she succumbed to pneumonia, dying in the very same institution she had helped to build decades earlier – St. Joseph’s Hospital. Her obituary, a testament to her widespread fame and giving spirit, was published in newspapers as far away as New York. This diminutive woman, who often dressed in men’s attire and never married, had carved an extraordinary path as one of the earliest female entrepreneurs in the West, a tenacious miner, and an unparalleled humanitarian. Throughout her adventures across countless mining camps, she was affectionately known by many names: the Frontier Angel, Saint of the Sourdoughs, Miner’s Angel, Angel of the Cassiar, and The Angel of Tombstone.
On March 15, 2006, Nellie Cashman‘s incredible contributions to the mining world and human welfare were formally recognized with her induction into the Alaska Mining Hall of Fame, a fitting tribute to a truly remarkable woman of the American West.
