Black, Martha Louise National Historic Person
Dawson, Yukon Territory
Martha Louise Black, 1932
(© Library and Archives Canada | Bibliothèque et Archives Canada / C-023354)
Address :
Dawson, Yukon Territory
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1987-11-05
Life Date:
1866 to 1957
Other Name(s):
-
Black, Martha Louise
(Designation Name)
Research Report Number:
1987-03
Importance:
Second woman elected as Member of Parliament (1935), prominent Yukon figure
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: 602 Front Street, Dawson, Yukon Territory
A legendary figure among northerners who admired her pioneering spirit, Chicago-born Martha Munger Purdy climbed the Chilkoot Trail in 1898 to join the Klondike gold rush. Later, she operated a sawmill near Dawson, and in 1904 married George Black, who served as Commissioner of the Yukon. Awarded the Order of the British Empire for volunteer work in Britain during the First World War, she was also made a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society for her research on Yukon flora. She became Canada's second female M.P. when she replaced her ailing husband for one term (1935-1940).