Old West Female Outlaws

Lesson 6: Prostitution in the West-Soiled Doves

In this lesson, we'll take a look at the "world's oldest professon" and the women who engaged in it. From fancy parlor houses to lowly cribs, these women lived on the fringes of society. We'll explore the lives of a few well-know "ladies of the lamplight" and attempt to understand their often tragic tales.

Prostitution in the Old West

In the early days of Western settlement, women were scarce. Prostitution was not looked down upon. Lonely miners were glad to see any kind of woman come to town, and the appearance of a woman, regardless of moral character, was greeted with great enthusiasm. As more settlers began to migrate West, the attitude toward prostitution gradually began to change. The development of towns and cities rather than rough mining camps led to established settlements similar to the ones back East.

As the West became more populated and "respectable" women began to arrive and establish communities and churches, society's views of prostitution became more critical.

As far as prostitution was concerned, a double standard existed. Men were not penalized by keeping mistresses or visiting houses of prostitution, but the women who worked in these establishments were looked down upon. These women were often called "fallen women" or "soiled doves". In the earlier days of western settlement, many women went West to start a new life. Once a woman became an outcast from society back East, it was virtually impossible for her to redeem herself. In the new, unstructured environment it was easy to assume a new identity. However, many of these women often went back to their old habits and found themselves working in parlor houses and brothels. The towns of the West gradually began to take on the same strict social and moral codes that had been left behind in the East, and many of these women once again found themselves social outcasts.

Kept mistresses, as well as prostitutes, were also met with censure by newly-established genteel society of the West. Baby Doe Tabor, who had never been a prostitute and who was properly married, was snubbed by Denver society because of a messy divorce with Tabor's first marriage.

The career of a madam or prostitute was usually fairly short. There was no retirement plan. Most prostitutes hoped to either save enough money to go into business for themselves, or marry and assume a more respectable role in society. Some of them succeeded; others did not. The ones who failed were doomed to sad, usually short lives which often ended in an overdose of laudanum in some lonely room. When researching this subject, I expected to find a limitless supply of names and photographs. I was surprised by the scarcity of pictures and lack of names that survived. Many women kept their real names secret from shame or to protect their family name, so their true identities are lost forever. Many of these women drifted in and out of history without leaving much a mark, leading desolate lives and dying solitary deaths. And yet, they made up a strong part of the people who formed the West.

In this lesson, we will take a look at prostitution in the West in general, and follow the lives of a few "soiled doves." The primary resources for this lesson will be Soiled Doves:Prostitution in the Old West Seagraves, Ann.Wesanne Publications, Hayden, Idaho1994., and Ladies of the Lamplight Blair, Kay Reynolds. Western Reflections Publishing, Ouray, CO. 2000.

At the end of Lesson 6, test your knowlege with a short multiple choice quiz over this lesson.