Wanton West: Madams, Money, Murder, and the Wild Women of Montana’s Frontier by Lael Morgan (Chicago Review Press, Inc., 2011) is a book whose parts are greater than the whole.
Morgan introduces the reader to the pioneers of the Montana frontier both famous and infamous. She focuses largely on prostitutes in early Montana, drawing largely on real estate and census records to chart their declare and fall, or success and upward mobility as the case may be, and shows how many of Montana’s most respectable citizens financially backed various red-light districts in Montana. The book starts off reading like fiction which is a bit disconcerting to the Reader until we find that these passages are taken from a book, Madeleine: An Autobiography whose author is to this day Anonymous but who scholars believe was an experienced prostitute working in that era and who some believe went on to marry into a prominent Canadian family.
It is somewhat surprising how many frontier prostitutes eventually went on to marry, some very well, and lead respectable lives, but choices were fewer on the frontier and the profession did not engender the stigma it later acquired. Many of the prostitutes mentioned in this book slip completely from the record at a time when it was easier to lose oneself than it is now and there are harrowing tales of suicide among the soiled doves of Montana.
A particularly interesting section deals with the situation of Chinese prostitutes. At a time when authorities were concerned with both an alleged “yellow peril” and a presumed epidemic of “white slavery” the appalling abuse of Chinese women trafficked to the United States for purposes of prostitution were studiously ignored. Like the United States perception of the plight of women in fundamentalist groups or cultures is a matter of “culture” rather than of human rights, officials took a hands-off approach to the issue of the sexual slavery of Chinese women. The author admits because this was considered a matter for the Chinese to deal with official records are scanty but the author unearths some records that demonstrate the horror to which these women were subjected.
Ms. Morgan also recounts early movers-and-shakers of the era, men who made their fortunes in mining and ranching and the women associated with them. Readers may be familiar with the factoid that Montana had the only Congressperson to vote against the United States’ entry into both World War I and World War II. What isn’t as well known is that this woman, Jeanette Rankin, only held two terms, widely separated, that resulted in her being in a position to cast those two career-ending votes. It is also surprising, and instructional for those following current political arguments concerning Original Intent, that the New York Times published an article arguing that Ms. Rankin’s election was clearly illegal as the U.S. Constitution clearly uses the pronoun “he” when putting forth the qualifications needed in order to hold elected office.
This controversy echoes the controversy over the book, Madeline: An Autobiography, which resulted in the 1919 arrest of the then President of Harper & Brothers publishers, Clinton Tyler Brainard, upon a complaint from The Society for the Prevention of Vice. The complaint wasn’t based on any salacious details contained in the book, rather, The Society for the Prevention of Vice, objected to the fact that our anonymous Madeline showed no remorse over her former life of sin. Brainard, who rejected a plea deal that would have required him to divulge the author’s true identity, was initially convicted and fined $1,000, though that conviction was later reversed.
Another interesting story concerns Tom Cruse who made his fortune from gold mines and the tragic story of his daughter, Mary, a subject that fully warrants a full-length treatment. Also making an appearance is Huguette Clark, daughter of “Copper King,” William Clark. Hugette was still alive when this book went to press but she died two weeks shy of her 105 birthday in New York City on May 24, 2011. Huguette, who had been a something of a recluse since the 1930s and hospital bound since 1988, left a $30 million dollar bequest to her longtime nurse and caregiver while leaving the bulk of her estate, $300 million, to charity. She left a Water Lily painting by Charles Monet that she had purchased in 1930 to the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C. Indeed, it is curious to read how many of the people who made their money in Montana left it to institutions in Washington, D.C., New York, California, anywhere, it seems, but Montana.
There are also famous people who pop up along the narrative thread, most notably the artist Charles Russell. The boxer Stanley Ketchel takes up quite a bit of space and Calamity Jane spent some time on the Montana frontier. There is a charming, and tantalizing, appearance by Charlie Chaplin.
The author helpfully provides a list of “major players” as well as a timeline of events in the back of the book. The author gives us well sourced footnotes but inexplicably omits a separate bibliography. The book does contain an index and some quite interesting photographs.
Although the subject matter is interesting the book suffers from a lack of depth and writing that falls somewhat flat. Still, it is a diverting read and not unworthy of attention. Wanton West: Madams, Money, Murder, and the Wild Women of Montana’s Frontier is available at the Owen County Public Library. Check it out!
~ Laura Wilkerson, Genealogy Department, OCPL
~ Laura Wilkerson, Genealogy Department, OCPL
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