Nellie Cashman remembered for rescue of 77 gold miners [Video]

On this day, Jan 4, 1925, Ellen (Nellie) Cashman, who left a legacy of great philanthropy in her wake, passed away. Today, we remember a great feat when she rallied a rescue team to save the lives of 77 miners in the Yukon.

Born in Midleton, County Cork in 1845, during the first year of Ireland’s Great Hunger, Ellen (Nellie) Cashman went on to build quite the life and legacy for herself in the US as a helper, a healer, a savior, and a gold prospector.

In 1850, Cashman, her mother, and her sister Fanny departed Ireland for America. They first settled in Boston, and in 1865, when Nellie was 20, they made the long journey to California.

When the Klondike Gold Rush kicked off in the Yukon region of Canada, Nellie ventured there for herself in 1874 and set up a boarding house for miners in the midst of the Cassiar …