Colorado Madams

by Michael Rutter

Overview

In 1858, prospectors discovered gold where Cherry Creek meets the South Platte River (today's downtown Denver), sparking a gold rush that drew more than 100,000 fortune seekers to the territory. Among them were enterprising women seeking their own motherlode-riches dug straight from the pockets of miners, merchants, railroad workers, and any other men with money to burn. These soiled doves and madams of early Colorado were more complex-and more intriguing-than conventional western lore might lead you to believe. Meet Ada Lamont, a preacher's widow turned prostitute, perhaps the first woman to advertise her wares on Cherry Creek. And Verona Baldwin, scandalized by one of the wealthiest men in California, only to turn her shame into fame as the owner of the most exclusive parlor house in Denver. Here too is Laura Evens, who went to a costume ball dressed as a nun, and Trinidad's savvy Mae Phelps, a leader in offering health care to working girls and a founder of a rest home for retired prostitutes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781560377733
Publisher:	Farcountry Press
Publication date:	09/28/2022
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	1,110,048
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

As told by author Michael Rutter, the stories of these women come alive with voluptuous detail, authentic photographs, and historical context. Make yourself comfortable and enter the seductive world of Colorado Madams.

Table of Contents

The World of Colorado Madams vii

By Any Other Name: Common Euphemisms xv

Chapter 1 Ada Lamont: The Legend of the Young Bride, the Whore, and the Madam 1

Chapter 2 Red Stockings: The Myth, the Legend, the Miner's Dream Girl 13

Chapter 3 Mattie Silks: The Denver Madam with an Accountant's Mind 27

Chapter 4 Jennie Rogers: "I Shot Him Because I Love Him! Damn Him!" 39

Chapter 5 'poker' Alice Ivers: "Praise the Lord and Place Your Bets. I'll Take Your Money with No Regrets." 49

Chapter 6 Ella Wellington: Pining for Her Ex, She Puts a Pistol to Her Head 57

Chapter 7 Laura Bell McDaniel: The Colorful Courtesan of Colorado City and Her Tragic Death 67

Chapter 8 Laura Evens: Madam of Five Decades 81

Chapter 9 Pearl Devere: The Fated Madam of Cripple Creek and Her Last Rejection 97

Chapter 10 Lillian Powers: The Last of the Old West Madams 115

Chapter 11 Verona Baldwin: The Ruined Denver Madam Who Had the Last Laugh 129

Chapter 12 Mae Phelps: The Modern Madam from Trinidad 143

Bibliography 155

Index 161

About the Author 169