Prostitution in the Early West

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pAlyssa DeFelice History 1302 History of Prostitution in the Old Wild West Soiled Doves, the name in which prostitutes were given in the Old Wild West were very much a part of the economic development and advancement of the country. In a part of the country where men outnumbered women three to one and sometimes much higher, prostitutes of the Old West were very popular, and were considered an essential part of the lifestyle. These women made their living by offering sex in exchange for money at the numerous brothels, parlor houses, and cribs of the western states such as Arizona, Colorado, Arkansas and many more. In reality, prostitutes of the Old West had a very difficult life that often ended tragically. Prostitutes were among the first to establish businesses in flourishing towns of the 1800s, and like all early settlers, they were important in developing areas in which they lived and carried out their trade. For their efforts, like other pioneers of that time, they risked disease, injury, and in some cases death in order to make a living for themselves. Prostitution as it is today 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. In a wild time, these scandalous women wore makeup, and short skirts. They kept company with rough men and supported themselves the only way they knew how. Their lives were difficult, and many of them died at a young age. The life of a prostitute in the Old West was nothing like the movies. Prostitution gained its popularity as a profession in the 1800s when women traveling with their husbands or families to a new life in the
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