Fannie Quigley

Fannie Quigley (1870 – August 25, 1944) was an American pioneer and prospector and cook who became involved in mining operations during the Klondike Gold Rush. Living in the wilderness of what is now Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska, she was known for her hunting, trapping, and cooking skills.

Biography Quigley was born Frances Sedlacek in Wahoo, Nebraska, in 1870. She continued her travels north during the Klondike Gold Rush, arriving in Dawson City, Yukon, in 1897.

Quigley married her first husband, Angus McKenzie, in 1900.

A practicing naturalist and nurse, Quigley went to work at the Nenana Hospital in Nenana, Alaska, in 1920, during the Spanish flu pandemic. In 1937, the Quigleys' mining claims were leased to the Red Top Mining Company; the Quigleys split the income as part of their divorce settlement. Today, visitors can visit the remnants of her homestead, located in what is now Denali National Park and Preserve.

Quigley was inducted into the Alaska Mining Hall of Fame in 2000. A biography by Jane G. Haigh, Searching for Fannie Quigley: A Wilderness Life in the Shadow of Mount McKinley, was published in 2007.