How Prostitutes Settled The Wild West

By Editorial Staff in History On 29th November 2016
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#1 Women Shaped The West

Women, like everyone else, moved westward to gain economic prosperity. And despite the very considerable downside, prostitution was about the only thing there was available for them to do. It was the 1800's, and there were not a whole lot of options for making dough, especially for women. Despite the reputation the women received, it gave them independence and helped shape the Wild West.

#2 There Were No Towns

Before the women arrived out West, the towns weren't really even towns at all. Most men lived in tents and traveled on after just a few weeks or months to explore even further, in search of gold and new opportunities. The 'towns' were more like work camps.

That tent is the hole you sleep in, the other is the hole you crap in, and then there's the hole you die in. Yee=Haw!

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#3 Men Sought Female Companionship

The men soon became antsy and so desperate for female companionship that they actually paid to see a woman's undergarments that a traveler would bring along with him. They would often work 16 hours a day to keep their minds occupied because of frustration due to the lack of women.

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#4 The Women Went West In Coaches

So, when some big city fellas from the Eastern coast decided that women should go out to keep the men happy, the men were ecstatic. They sent women out West in coaches as quickly as they could get them signed on for the venture. But once there, the women saw an economic need and knew the men were lacking something that only they could provide.

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#5 They Saw A Way To Earn Cold Cash

Their services were in such demand that many women made more money than the men they served. As a result, those tiny camps began to grow into towns, all because of the brothels that were built by some pretty savvy women. The barren camps soon became bustling towns with banks, shops, saloons, and of course, a jail.

#6 With Money Comes Power

The women had all the power because they had all of the money the men had earned. They didn't hoard it but instead invested in their towns. They opened the shops, the bank, and even a few taverns for the men to get nice and drunk at before paying them a visit upstairs. Some opened schools, and soon, children began to fill those classrooms and the towns continued to grow.

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#7 They Became Town Leaders

With all the wealth, the prostitutes became the leaders of their community. They got the money, the land, and then the power. But they used all of their newly earned power to make the west a community of towns that just grew bigger and bigger. Churches began to spring up, and hospitals, and all the services that the Wild West required.

#8 Many Spread the Wealth Around

Most of the women used their power and wealth to help others. Madame Millie of New Mexico used her money to school children in her area. Colorado madame Laura Evans opened a hospital and provided compensation to local workers who were injured in their work. She also sheltered other prostitutes who had become victims of abuse. And madame Diamond Jessie Hayman provided food and sheltered for the homeless after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

#9 How The West Was Really Won

And, that ya'll, is how prostitutes and horny pioneers helped to settle and grow the wild, wild, west!