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Western mining town honors its ladies of the night

By Len Iwanski, Associated Press writer

BUTTE, Mont. -- A century ago, this Old West town teemed with miners plumbing copper from the "richest hill on earth."

But the precious metal wasn't Butte's only commodity and the round-the-clock mines weren't the only places doing brisk business. As Charlie Chaplin once put it, Butte had "the prettiest women of any red-light district in the West."

Yesterday, locals gathered to pay tribute to the working women and their brothels by dedicating a park that stands near the heart of the town's former red-light district.

"They were an integral part of the community," said Norma Jean Almodovar, head of the International Sex Worker Foundation for Art, Culture and Education.

The dedication is part of a larger project by Ms. Almodovar's group to buy and restore the adjacent Dumas Hotel. Built as a brothel in 1890, it is believed to have been America's oldest working house of prostitution when authorities finally closed it in 1982.

The ex-sheriff who shut it down, Bob Butorovich, returned Wednesday to pose for pictures with Ms. Almodovar on the Dumas balcony, which was reserved for wealthier clients in the Dumas' working days.

Ms. Almodovar eventually hopes to turn the Dumas into a museum to commemorate the lives of prostitutes.

"This represents the entire history of prostitution in Butte, from the beginning to the end," said Rudy Giecek, an antiques dealer who will serve as curator.

Listed in the National Registry of Historic Places, the Dumas is the last surviving example of Victorian brothel architecture.

The two-story brick building has three levels: a basement with small rooms or "cribs" where prostitutes entertained customers; a main floor with larger rooms and parlors; and the second floor with several large rooms, an open balcony and skylights.

"I'd like to hear these walls talk," said Sally Johnson of Bigfork, Mont., one of several people touring the Dumas on a recent weekday afternoon.

Many of the original furnishings remain, along with personal items left by the women, including purses, shoes, cosmetic cases, photographs -- even a World War I era sex toy.

Although few local government officials have become involved in the dedication festivities, Colleen Fine, the city's community development director, said she wishes Ms. Almodovar's group well.

"It's a really important part of our heritage," Ms. Fine said. "It's part of our history and who we are. We don't want to lose any of our history."

Photo by The Associated Press
Norma Jean Almodovar, former Los Angeles traffic cop-turned-call girl, displays a painting of the Dumas Hotel in her home in Los Angeles.