The Lady Lumberjack: An Annotated Collection of Dorothea Mitchell's Writings

Edited by Michel S. Beaulieu and Ronald N. Harpelle

"Historians often have identified Susanna Moodie or Catherine Parr Traill as advocates for women’s rights, but Beaulieu and Harpelle argue emphatically that Mitchell’s contributions are equally important. Taken as a whole, Lady Lumberjack is as entertaining as it is insightful. Dorothea Mitchell was a gifted writer, her prose at times resembling that of Pulitzer Prize winner Annie Proulx. In all likelihood readers will find themselves missing Mitchell long after they have finished reading the book. This unassuming woman captivates one with her humorous shenanigans while, at the same time, astounding one with her no-nonsense approach to everyday matters typically considered the liberty of men. Lady Lumberjack is a serious contribution to women’s history, with huge potential to inform novice and seasoned academics alike. Mitchell’s writings are ripe with examples of emerging ethnic and racial tensions, national pride and shifting gender roles. Such broader themes need only be teased from the pages. Beaulieu and Harpelle have ably shown the
numbers ways in which Dorothea Mitchell stood as a symbol for all
that women could achieve."
Cheryl Desroches, Queen’s University

When originally published in 1968, Dorothea Mitchell's autobiography Lady Lumberjack was heralded as a significant achievement and a poignant reminder of the many women who "pondering their ability to compete in what was once a man's world." Not unlike the many thousands of European women who migrated to Canada at the turn of the twentieth century, Mitchell's life was one filled with adventure, hardship, determination, and perseverance in a time when women's roles were defined by all but themselves. Unfortunately, like many of these women, Dorothea Mitchell's life has been all but forgotten despite her many achievements both provincially and nationally that makes her life an important one that should be celebrated.

The Fatal Flower Project in conjunction with the Lakehead University Centre for Northern Studies is pleased to once again make available Dorothea Mitchell's remarkable story. This expanded republication of Lady Lumberjack and other stories penned by Mitchell marks the hundredth anniversary of her emigration to Canada and is intended to once more bring to light an individual who not only pondered "her ability to compete in what was once a man's world" but thrived in it.

To order your copy:

Order... The Lady Lumberjack: An Annotated Collection of Dorothea Mitchell's Writings and The Port Arthur Cinema Society Collection DVD.