Jan MacKell Collins - Good Time Girls of Colorado: A Red-Light History of the Centennial State

I t is no secret to my many friends and colleagues in Colorado, which I haunted from the early 1960s, that I am fascinated with the history of that states good time girls. The list of those I need to thank for their time, patience, information, and resources seems simply innumerable. Some of them are no longer with us, and I continue making new friends in the history realm even today. I cant possibly eliminate any of these people from this list, but I will try to at least tone it down.

My research all began in Colorado Springs. The late Mary Davis and Cal Otto, as well as their wonderful staff at Penrose Library in Colorado Springs, not only provided me with some great information, but also gave me a wealth of opportunities that included an appearance on Rocky Mountain PBS. The late Leland Feitz and Paul Idleman of the Old Colorado City Historical Society provided much encouragement and insight. Dianne Hartshorn has not only kept the memory of madam Blanche Burton alive, but has also been of great help and support to me. Thayer Tutt of the El Pomar Foundation has been marvelous at putting up with me occasionally making him blush with stories of the red-light ladies in the early days. Farther south, in Pueblo, it was my pleasure to finally connect with historian Joanne West Dodds, and I appreciate the effort she put forth in assisting me with additional research.

The Cripple Creek District, where I lived for many years, remains in the top tier of my favorite places. Madams Charlotte Bumgarner, Lodi Hern, and the other ladies of the Old Homestead museum have always been supportive of my work, including those few years I was able to manage this most authentic and historic brothel museum. My dear friend Georganna Peiffer has always supported and encouraged me in her gentle way. Erik Swanson, former director of the Cripple Creek District Museum, as well as museum founder Richard Johnson, gave me a job there and spent countless hours counseling me in my work and my research. Thanks also go to the late Ohrt Yeager and Steve Mackin, the late Sally Johnson, and Sallys daughter, Paula Waddington, for allowing me to interview them and providing amazing information about French Blanche LaCroix. La Jean Greeson, my friend in faraway Washington, is a research goddess. Crystal Brown, Lisa Wheatcraft, and Linda Weidman at the Teller County Courthouse in Cripple Creek have been of immense help.

Melissa Trenary, my sometime partner in crime, remains my best friend who is always up for an adventure or a new idea and worked with me for many years at the Cripple Creek District Museum. Michael Duffy and Rick Leonard of the fabulous and historic Cripple Creek Hospitality House (formerly the Teller County Hospital) have also been supportive of my research on French Blanche. Terri Hubert, Dickie Grater, Kim Tulley, Ruth Zirkle, Sherry Skye Johns, Mary Sanders, Lori Sewald, and Mark Gregoryplus so many, many moreall encouraged me, told me stories, and read my books. Thank you also to former Victor resident and history author Cathleen Norman, who once looked at my nervous face before a presentation in Arizona, sighed, and reminded me, You know the material. You can do this.

In Denver, it was University of Colorado history professor and state historian Dr. Tom Noel who first encouraged me to give a presentation about the bad girls of Colorado and consequently enabled me to publish my first book, Brothels, Bordellos & Bad Girls: Prostitution in Colorado 18601930. Tom is better known as Dr. Colorado in certain circles and gives wonderful walking tours, great cheer, and excellent advice. I cannot say enough good things about the staff of the Denver Public Library and Stephen H. Hart Library, nor the wonderful staff of History Colorado, all of whom so carefully tend to their historic collections. Thank you too to all of the wonderful strangers I have encountered in libraries and museums in Boulder, Central City, Durango, Oak Creek, Ouray, Silverton, Telluride, and other places throughout the state who helped me find what I was looking for. And to the all of the people who have bought my books, attended my presentations, followed me on social media, and listened to me babble endlessly about my giddy girls, I raise my glass to you. I could not have done all of this without each of you.

When you write about hookers and harlots for a very long time, you sometimes get your wires crossed. I am indebted to Erin Turner, Alex Bordelon, and others at Globe Pequot Press for their assistance in weeding through my manuscript, sources, and footnotes to make sure I got everything correct and in place. Because of their diligence, the book makes sense and does not sound like me when I am babbling history at someone in conversation. Thank you, everybody.

On a more personal note, I wish my mother and mentor, Eleanor Smith, was still around to see how far my books have come. She will always remain in my heart as my best friend and number one fan. Other family fans who have encouraged and supported me through time include my niece, Dawn Santabanez; my dad, Wally Smith; my stepmother, Barbara Espino; my patient husband, Corey; and my godmother, Irene Smith, who loved looking me in the eye and declaring with a grin, So, you want to be a writer, eh?

Jan MacKell Collins has been a published author, speaker, and presenter since 2003. Her focus has always been on western history, with an emphasis on historical prostitution. Collins has published numerous articles on her subjects in such magazines as True West, Montana Magazine, All About History, and many regional magazines. She currently resides in Oregon, where she continues researching the history of prostitution.

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