November 2, 1957 - Martha Black

Human Rights a Day

Former Yukon MP Martha Black dies. Martha Munger, born in Chicago in 1866, left a life of privilege, as well as a husband, to join the Klondike gold rush in 1898. Her journey involved a rugged 92-kilometre hike through Chilkoot Pass in the Rocky Mountains, but her wealth made it easier than for most; she paid others to haul her mass of gear. In 1904 she married her second husband, George Black, who later became commissioner of the Yukon Territory and a member of Parliament. Martha’s career included partnering in gold mine businesses and running a sawmill. When her husband was too ill to run as MP in 1935, Black ran for Parliament herself. She became Canada’s second female MP at the age of 69. Five years later, when her husband recovered, she gave up the seat she had been “holding” for him. Black died on November 2, 1957 at age 91, but her name (and that of her husband) lives on through streets and mountain peaks named after the couple.