The Real Lives of Prostitutes of the Old West

Painted ladies. Soiled Doves. Women of the night. Red light ladies. Public women. Whatever they were called prostitutes are very much a part of the history of the Wild West. In a part of the country when men outnumbered women three to one and sometimes much higher, prostitutes of the Old West were very popular, and also considered a necessity. But what were their lives really like? The movies have often portrayed these women in ways that gloss over the truth or are simply an outright lie. These portrayals are not even close to reality. In reality, prostitutes of the Old West had a very difficult life that often ended tragically.

Who Became Prostitutes?

Women from many walks of life became prostitutes in the Old West. The early 1800s saw many women traveling with their husbands or families to a new life in the relatively unsettled western states. For women who lost their husbands, and had no money or family, prostitution was often the only way to make a living. If a woman was raped or despoiled by a man, her prospects for marriage disappeared, even though it was not her fault that she was put in that situation. Sometimes their families would ask them to leave home, and with no place to go and no skills, prostitution became the only answer. Respectable positions were few and far between in the Old West. Women could be seamstresses, laundresses, milliners, waitresses or teachers, but in the small western towns, these jobs were quickly filled, which left other women to find other ways to live and eat. There were women who chose to become prostitutes for a life of adventure, and to escape the constraints of Eastern rules regarding women’s behavior. There were also many Chinese and other foreign women who were kidnapped from their homes or sold by their families into a life of prostitution in the U.S.

How Old Were Prostitutes?

Prostitutes could be as young as fourteen, and as old as forty. However, the average age of a prostitute in the Old West was about twenty-three years old. The life of a prostitute was not long. By the time they were thirty-five or forty years old, they were considered way past their prime, and were reduced to being streetwalkers or living in abject poverty until they died. Some women who started as prostitutes went on to become madams, and run their own houses of ill-repute. Still, the life of a prostitute was not an easy one.

Where Did They Live?

Even among prostitutes, there was a pecking order. The prostitutes that were the most attractive and made the most money often lived in veritable mansions, run by madams and complete with a kitchen staff, bouncers, and each girl having their own room and fashionable clothes. They made anywhere from $5 to $30 for the whole night, and received a commission on the drinks, cigars and food that their patrons purchased. Prostitutes rarely drank on the job. When a patron would buy them a drink, the bartender would bring them cold tea or colored sugar water so that they would stay sober and working. These girls did not keep all of their earnings, and had to pay a portion to the madam whom they worked for.

The prostitutes on the other end of the spectrum lived in what were called “cribs.” These were two room shacks that had a bedroom in the front and a kitchen in the back. These women made much less money, as little as 25 cents to a dollar per customer. These women could also have a madam or a man who took a portion of their earnings.

There were plenty of prostitutes who fell into categories between, some worked out of dance halls and saloons, others worked out of makeshift tents and some even worked discreetly out of their own home.

Wasn’t Prostitution Illegal?

Prostitution was illegal, but it still managed to flourish in the west. Madams were often fined to keep the respectable citizens of the towns happy, but the amounts were usually small and the more often than not, the city officials were regular customers. The fact is that prostitutes in the Old West were good for the economy of a town and brought in money. So while respectable women crossed the street and refused to acknowledge the prostitutes, they were helping to add to a town’s coffers and attracting new inhabitants to the area.

What Happened To Prostitutes?

The sad truth of the matter is most of them died young, and in poverty. Suicide was extremely common among prostitutes of this time. Others drank themselves to death or overdosed on laudanum, which was a form of liquid opium. Still others were killed violently, caught in bar brawls, shot for stealing a man’s money when he was sleeping or passed out, killed by jealous customers or other prostitutes. Some of them died of diseases like tuberculosis or syphilis, and some died from botched abortions, because birth control was primitive, and having a child meant loss of money and time working.

In a wild time, these scandalous women wore makeup, short skits and dyed their hair. They kept company with rough men and supported themselves the only way they knew how. Their lives were probably difficult, and many of them died young. Should we think less of them for what they did, or respect them for making their way in a mostly male world? The choice is up to you. The life of a prostitute in the Old West was nothing like the movies.