Thresholds, Walls, and Bridges is a collection of essays inspired by public lectures given by historian Dr. Elizabeth Jameson during her tenure as Imperial Oil-Lincoln McKay Chair in American Studies at the University of Calgary from 1999 to 2017.

Together, these essays represent the intellectual evolution of an important and influential scholar told through engaging original research. Thresholds, Walls, and Bridges presents insightful and challenging discussions of historical questions informed by contemporary debates. Ranging from the gold camps of California to northwest Alaska, from North Dakota homesteads of the late 19th century to New Jersey cities of the 1960s, they address the boundaries that divide people and the ways that private acts in everyday lives can make meaningful change.

Dr. Jameson explores the histories of borderlands, labour, women, workers, people of colour, and the connected pasts of Canada and the United States. Rejecting approaches that write most people out of history, she makes humanity visible again and again. Thresholds, Walls, and Bridges is a record of a remarkable career.

Chapter 1. Where Have All The Young Men Gone? The Social Legacy of the California Gold Rush

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