''The Spoilers'' (1906) is a novel by Rex Beach based in

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U ...

that was one of the best selling novels of 1906.Korda, Michael
Making the List: A Cultural History of the American Bestseller, 1900-1999
p. 11 (2001) (listing ''The Spoilers'' at number eight for the year)The annual American catalog, 1906
p. xii (1907) (stating that ''

The Bookman (New York) ''The Bookman'' was a literary journal established in 1895 by Dodd, Mead and Company. It drew its name from the phrase, "I am a book-man," by James Russell Lowell. The phrase, without the hyphen, regularly appeared on the cover and title page o ...

'' listed ''The Spoilers'' four times in its lists for 1906)(July 7, 1906)
The Six Most Popular Novels In May
''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'', p. 18 (listing ''The Spoilers'' as number 3 for May 1906) The book was quickly adapted into a play, and was later adapted to film five times, in

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...

1923 Events January–February * January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory). * January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will b ...

1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in w ...

, and

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

.(December 24, 1955)
4-Time Loser; 'The Spoilers' Returns to Films Once More
''

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'' The novel is based on a true story of corrupt government officials, such as Alexander McKenzie, seizing gold mines from prospectors, which Beach witnessed while he was prospecting in

Nome, Alaska Nome (; ik, Sitŋasuaq, ) is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of Alaska, United States. The city is located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. It had a population of 3,699 record ...

during the

Nome Gold Rush The Nome Gold Rush was a gold rush in Nome, Alaska, approximately 1899–1909.. It is separated from other gold rushes by the ease with which gold could be obtained. Much of the gold was lying in the beach sand of the landing place and could ...

.(April 14, 1906)
The Gold Fever: Rex E. Beach's Thrilling Story of Life in the Far North, "The Spoilers"
''

''Peattie, Elia W. (April 21, 1906)
BEACH'S "THE SPOILERS" READS LIKE A CHAPTER OUT OF LAWLESS YOUTH: Rude Story of a Rude Land Served Up Without Timidity by One Who Has Seen and Who Has Done
''

The Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

''Recent Fiction and Its Critics
''

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'', Vol. XLI, No. 2, p. 226 (August 1906)

Plot

Young fearless prospector Roy Glenister and his older partner, Dextry are headed back to Nome on the first ship of the season, eager to return to protect their gold claim called the "Midas", which promises to yield them great wealth. On the trip, they defend a young woman who boards the ship from her pursuers—and who is also intent on reaching Nome as soon as possible. Glenister immediately begins to fall for the young beauty, who turns out to be Helen Chester, niece of Judge Arthur Chester, recently appointed as the first federal judge for the Alaska Territory—the "law" is coming to the wild northern frontier. Except it turns out the law is crooked. The Judge and the federal marshall are really under the thumb of strongman politician Alexander McNamara. After reaching Nome, McNamara succeeds in being appointed receiver of all the most lucrative mining claims in the region, based on fraudulent disputes over the validity of the miners' claims. Glenister, Dextry, and a number of naive Swedes are dispossessed of their lands. The miners hire lawyers to fight on the legal side, and also form a vigilante group to fight the "law". McNamara rules ruthlessly, running the mines himself. Glenister sinks into despair, believing that Helen is in on the conspiracy against the miners, and almost loses his stake in the Midas in a night of reckless gambling. He is only saved from that fate by Cherry Malotte, whose unrequited love for Glenister has brought her to Nome. Helen slowly learns about the scheme being perpetrated by McNamara, her uncle, and others, while her affections are torn between Glenister and McNamara.

Historical basis

The novel is loosely based on actual events that occurred during the

while Rex Beach was in Nome. Beach himself documented the non-fiction version in a series titled "The Looting of Alaska", which was published in the January through May 1906 issues of '' Appleton's Booklovers Magazine''. "Alexander Macnamara" of the novel is a fictionalized version of Alexander McKenzie, an influential behind-the-scenes politician who had the federal judge at Nome, Arthur H. Noyes, make him the receiver of valuable gold placers. The principal victims were a trio of prospectors enviously called "the three lucky Swedes" (actually two naturalized US citizens of Swedish birth, and a Norwegian), Japhet Lindeberg, Erik Lindblom, and John Brynteson. The scheme was halted when McKenzie was arrested by federal marshals sent to Nome by the

9th Circuit Court of Appeals The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts: * District ...

in San Francisco. He served three months in jail for contempt of court before being pardoned by President McKinley.

References

External links

The Spoilers
full text at

Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital libr ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spoilers, The 1906 American novels American novels adapted into films Novels set in Alaska