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Brothels, Bordellos, and Bad Girls

Prostitution in Colorado, 1860-1930

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Brothels, Bordellos, and Bad Girls

By: Jan Mackell
Narrated by: Laura Jennings
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About this listen

Prostitution thrived in pioneer Colorado. Mining was the principal occupation and men outnumbered women more than twenty to one. Jan MacKell provides a detailed overview of the business between 1860 and 1930, focusing her research on the mining towns of Cripple Creek, Salida, Colorado City, and similar boomtown communities. She used census data, Sanborn maps, city directories, property records, marriage records, and court records to document and trace the movements of the women over the course of their careers, uncovering work histories, medical problems, and numerous relocations from town to town. She traces many to their graves, through years filled with abuse, disease, narcotics, and violence.

The book is published by University of New Mexico Press.

©2004 University of New Mexico Press (P)2013 Redwood Audiobooks Americas Gender Studies Human Sexuality Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Social Sciences State & Local United States Crime Mining

Critic reviews

"Delicacy, humor, respect, and compassion are among the merits of this book. Although other authors have flirted with Colorado's commercial sex, Jan MacKell provides a detailed overview. She has been researching these elusive women for the last fifteen years. Such persistence allows her to offer rich detail on shady ladies who rarely used their real names or even stuck with the same professional name for long." (Thomas J. Noel, from the Introduction)
"The topic is interesting, the author knowledgeable, the presentation nonjudgmental...All sorts of interesting facts pop up in this work." ( USA Today)
"Now this is a book you can read in one sitting. Not that it is less than scholarly; it is comprehensive, extensively researched, well organized, well written, but most of all it is readable. In fact, it is compelling. Brothels, Bordellos, & Bad Girls is a fascinating book because it puts a human face on prostitution." ( Roundup Magazine)
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I found it a bit of a dull listen. The tale was dry and the tone academic. Lots of facts, names and places - fine as a work of reference but for me it did not work that well as an audio experience. I did find many of the story features interesting, the gold rush, the rush from al over America to mine, the hardship and the coming of prohibition. Perhaps more thematic analysis would have contributed

Hard work

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Nothing. It was all very interesting. It is a very fast paced book and keeps you constantly entertained.

Very well read too!


Such attention to detail, so many stories were unearthed for this book and what a treat to read.

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Some interesting anecdotes buried in a lot of dull details - a little repetitive. Still it brings to the forefront a lot of forgotten lives and this is admirable.

Some interesting anecdotes buried in a lot of dull details

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