Bigfork, MN Author Publishes Historical Novel Set in Alaska

The Cheechakoes, a new book by Gene Madsen, has been released by RoseDog Books.

The Cheechakoes is a novel based on fact. The gold rush of 1897-98 was one of the great episodes in American history.

When the Tlingit Indian first saw these men and women packing their gear up the Chilkoot Trail, they called them "Cheechakoes" (chee-cha-koes) which means "Greenhorn." Thirty thousand men and women from the United States and other countries headed north from Dyea on the Alaskan coast. These poor souls traveled by foot, carrying their required 1150 pounds of food plus their equipment, thirty-three miles over rugged country, fighting deep snow and frigid temperatures to Lake Bennett.

Then they had to build a boat and travel 500 miles down the Yukon River to Dawson City. The lust for gold made these men struggle against insurmountable odds, for a chance to make their fortunes. News of the Yukon gold drew men from their $1.00 a day jobs in California to Alaska hoping to strike it rich. Sit back, put your feet up and enjoy this story about the 1897-98 Yukon gold rush.

The Cheechakoes is a 312 -page paperback with a retail price of $20.00. The ISBN is 978-1-6461-0237-2. It was published by RoseDog Books of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For more information, or to request a review copy, please go to our virtual pressroom at www.dorrancepressroom.com or our online bookstore at http://www.rosedogbookstore.com.