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The name Klondike Kate has been recorded in reference to at least 17 different women named Kate or Kathleen who were in and around Dawson City during the boom of the gold rush years. The title was synonymous with other titles of endearment, such as "Queen of the Klondike", "Flower of the North" and "Darling of Dawson."

The woman most commonly associate with the name is Kathleen (Kate) Rockwell from Junction City, Kansas. She was one of Dawson's most vivacious entertainers and showed it off at work as an entertainer and a dance hall girl at the Palace Grand Theatre, where it is rumored that her ghost continues to haunt the upstairs dressing rooms. Her red hair, fetching figure and ability to sing and dance made her popular with the miners.

Although Kate Rockwell took the nickname for herself, it is said that the real Kate deserving of the moniker was Katherine Ryan from New Brunswick. Ryan actually participated in the gold rush and fraternized with the other miners. She was also the first female member of the North West Mounted Police and one of the first women to venture into the north on foot by walking over the Stikine Trail.

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