Mattie “Tootsie” Crosby

Mattie “Tootsie” Crosby (1884–1972) was born in Maine and came to Alaska during the early 1900s with her adoptive family. After a brief stay in Skagway, Mattie hiked the Chilkoot Trail to Dawson City, later settling in the small town of Iditarod in 1910. She was a tenacious and adaptive businesswoman. She worked as a ‘lady of the night’ and as a madam and pursued many other memorable business ventures as well. Some these included hauling supplies by boat and dog team, boarding sled dogs and miners, establishing a bathhouse and brothel called “The Crosby,” prospecting, catering, and bootlegging during the Prohibition era, for which she served a jail sentence in 1925.

After her release from jail, Mattie moved to Flat, where she lived and worked for four decades, opening Tootsie’s Tavern, renowned for its food, music, and genial atmosphere. She also continued mining and developing side businesses. In the 1960s, Mattie moved to the Sitka Pioneer Home, and later to the Fairbanks Pioneer Home, where she passed in 1972.

Mattie’s hand-written autobiography documenting her experiences in Alaska was lost when she lent her only copy out for typing and review. However, her memory is preserved in oral histories, archival records, and reports that relay her entrepreneurial endeavors during a time of great change in Alaska. This recording, which aired as part of an interview series conducted by Ruth Briggs of KNIK Radio in 1961 and 1962, comes from the Anchorage Museum Archives.

UPDATE

New photos of #ExtraToughWomenAK Mattie “Tootsie” Crosby (1884-1972).

Mattie was born in Maine and came to Alaska during the early 1900s. After a brief stay in Skagway, Mattie hiked the Chilkoot Trail to Dawson City. In 1910, she moved north to Iditarod, Alaska. She was a tenacious and astute businesswoman who, in addition to working as a “lady of the night” and a madam, took up several business ventures, including hauling supplies by boat and dog teams, boarding sled dogs and miners, prospecting, catering, and establishing a bathhouse and brothel called The Crosby. She was also involved in bootlegging during the Prohibition Era, for which she served a jail sentence in 1925.

After her release, Mattie moved to Flat, Alaska, where she lived and worked for four decades. She mined and developed several side businesses, including Tootsie’s Tavern, a lunchroom and bar that was renowned for its food, music, and general atmosphere. Located in southwest Alaska, Flat was the largest mining camp in the Iditarod mining district around 1910 and was continuously inhabited until the last mining family left in 2004. The remains of Mattie’s properties can still be seen if you visit Flat today.

In this photo, Mattie stands outside her restaurant with two men, identified as John Repo and Frank Molitar. On the back of the photo, it states that Tootsie’s Tavern is the first restaurant in Fishweel [sic]. We aren’t sure what or where “Fishweel” was – if it was a fish wheel located in Flat or if it was an area within the camp. If you have any leads, leave us a comment below!

We’d love to know more about her and about the powerful women in your life. Share your images and stories with us on Instagram and Facebook by tagging us (@anchoragemuseum and #ExtraToughWomenAK) and we’ll add them to our ongoing digital curation project. Stay tuned for new posts and in the meantime, be sure to check out the exhibition, now open.

Credit: University of Alaska Fairbanks, Lulu Fairbanks Collection, UAF-1968-0069-02344