Born in California, Mae McKamish Meadows was married to Arizona Charley Meadows. In the 1890s, she performed as a horseback rider and chariot racer in her husband's wild west show.
Mae and Charley went north in August 1897, carrying everything necessary for a general store, a restaurant, and a bar, all of which they set up at every stopping place along the trail. They crossed the Chilkoot Pass in September, narrowly escaping the flash flood that washed away Sheep Camp. At Bennett they built two boats and set sail for Dawson City. When the river froze, they built sleighs for the last 80 miles into town.
A mere six months later, a newspaper account said Mae was worth $100,000, having invested in mining, business, and real estate. However, the news report might have exaggerated her fortune since Charley was in charge of that edition, and neither Mae nor Charley was known for modesty. In 1899, the couple built the Palace Grand Theatre where they often appeared together on stage. Mae held targets for Charley's sharpshooting act until he accidentally shot her in the thumb.
In the fall of 1901, Mae and Charley sold the theatre and left Dawson to settle in Yuma, Arizona. After they separated in 1926, Mae moved to Santa Monica, California, where she died at the age of 88 in 1960.
