--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Some miners’ wives take in washing and…" description: "\"“Some miners’ wives take in washing and make more money than their husbands do. In every gold rush from this one to the Klondike, the suppliers and ser..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaf/john-mcphee-11840_gold-rush_some-miners-wives-take-in-washing-and-ma_1718429.jpg" --- # Some miners’ wives take in washing and make more money… ![“Some miners’ wives take in washing and make more money than their husbands do. In every gold rush from this one to the Klondike, the suppliers and service industries will gather up the dust while ninety-nine per cent of the miners go home with empty pokes.” quote by John McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaf/john-mcphee-11840_gold-rush_some-miners-wives-take-in-washing-and-ma_1718429.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaf/john-mcphee-11840_gold-rush_some-miners-wives-take-in-washing-and-ma_1718429.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaf/john-mcphee-11840_gold-rush_some-miners-wives-take-in-washing-and-ma_1718429.jpg) > ““Some miners’ wives take in washing and make more money than their husbands do. In every gold rush from this one to the Klondike, the suppliers and service industries will gather up the dust while ninety-nine per cent of the miners go home with empty pokes.”” [John McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcphee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Women in gold rush economies often earned more than miners, showing service sectors thrive while most miners stay poor. **In simple terms:** Women earned more than miners in gold rushes. Key Takeaway Recognize the value of supporting roles. Themes gender economics history labor inequality Mood reflective analytical Type observational historical sociological When to use this quote - historical analysis - economic studies - gender studies Key Concepts capitalism resource extraction social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How do service industries shape wealth distribution? - What modern parallels exist? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gold/) [Gold rush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gold-rush/) [Husbands Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/husbands-gold-1314081/) [Kindlehighlight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindlehighlight/) [Miners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miners/) [Miners Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miners-home-1314080/) [Miners Wives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miners-wives-1314079/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) ## Related quotes > [During the Gold Rush, most would-be miners lost money, but people who sold them picks, shovels, tents and blue-jeans (Levi Strauss) made a nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/during-the-gold-rush-most-would-be-miners-lost-money-but-people-who/) [Peter Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lynch/) > [“going to have an industrial society you must have places that will look terrible. 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