Ladies of the Lamplight

Respectable society of nineteenth century Colorado gave women little leeway when it came to supporting themselves. Women who strayed from the accepted norm of the day soon found themselves outcasts, doomed to find their way to the bars and brothels of the West. Many of these fallen women became dance-hall girls, prostitutes, and madams - and a few adopted the lifestyles of gamblers, robbers, and rustlers. Ladies of the Lamplight tells the stories of some of these infamous women - Silver Heels, Poker Alice, Cattle Kate, Etta Place, Mattie Silks and Mollie May, to name just a few. This revised edition has been expanded to include more women whose stories continue to captivate us and hold our attention into the wee hours of the night.