Selling Sex in the Silver Valley
A Business Doing Pleasure
Once the largest silver producer in the world, Wallace became notorious for labor uprisings, hard drinking, gambling and prostitution. As late as 1991, illegal brothels openly flourished because locals believed that sex work prevented rape and bolstered the economy, so long as it was regulated and confined to a particular area of town.
The madams enjoyed unprecedented status as influential businesswomen, community leaders and philanthropists, while elsewhere a growing aversion to the sex trade drove red-light districts underground. Dr. Heather Branstetter’s research features previously unpublished archival materials and oral histories as she relates the intimate details of this unlikely story.
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My discussion with David Bourgeois of Guys in a Garage podcast hits the podwaves today!
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The Wallace documentary is now available for free online! You can watch all 17 minutes of it where it is currently hosted at Film Shortage (or below)! Film Description: In the tiny mining town of Wallace, Idaho, old west brothels were open and tolerated up until the year of 1991. The short documentary, Wallace, takes you on a trip to the past of a community where prostitution was deeply ingrained for over a century. Credits: Director: Delaney BuffettProducers: Delaney Buffett & Heather BranstetterDirector of Photography: Frances ChenCamera Operator and Assistant Camera: Isabel BethencourtAdditional Photography: Isabel Bethencourt and Delaney BuffettSound: Arthur…
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I helped make a documentary called Wallace, and it just made its world premiere at the Sun Valley Film Festival. Now, we’re bringing the short film back to its hometown on the last Friday & Saturday of April. Where: The Sixth Street Melodrama & Theater in Wallace, IdahoDates and Times: April 26th and 27th, with showings at 6:30 and 7:30 pmPrice: Free We encourage donations to the Melodrama, so please bring some cash with you. Tickets are now only available at the door, on a first-come-first-served basis only. If you reserved tickets already and haven’t picked them up yet, your tickets…
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Quick update for you–I’ll be at the Well-Read Moose in Coeur d’Alene this Saturday, April 28 (2018) at 6:00 PM for an Independent Bookstore Day author event. Come say hi! And mark your calendar for Wednesday, June 13 (2018). I’ll be doing an author event starting at 11:45 am in Spokane Valley. More details on that to follow soon…
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In case you missed it, my research was featured in a recent Nostalgia video! Thought I would share it again below… If you want to learn more, come to my book talk with photos at BookPeople in Moscow, 7:00 pm, Thursday, March 8. Nostalgia Presents: ‘Chuck King’s Guide to Spokane History’ Episode 4: ‘Selling Sex in the Silver Valley’ On Episode 4 of the King’s Guide, Chuck King introduces you to Dr. Heather Branstetter, author of the fascinating book, ‘Selling Sex in the Silver Valley: A Business Doing Pleasure.’ What does it mean when a community agrees that ‘you don’t have to obey…
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Were there ever any women of color who worked there [in the brothels]? You know, for guys who wanted someone a little more, you know, like, ‘exotic’ or ‘spicy?’ Kayla, the events coordinator for Auntie’s Bookstore in Spokane, asked me this question after my reading last week. She trailed off toward the end of her question, explaining that she was unsure how to ask about it and didn’t really know whether or not to ask about it at all. She worried it might make me uncomfortable, which is why she waited until after the event was over and I was just…
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What I do is perfectly legal when it’s free. — Maggie McNeill Today I am excited to finally share an interview with the lovely Maggie McNeill aka The Honest Courtesan. McNeill lives in the Seattle area, where she is a whore for hire and outspoken advocate of sex worker rights. She writes a popular blog, which you can find here, where you can also buy a copy of her book, Ladies of the Night. In July 2015, McNeill took time out of her trip to visit a gentleman in Sandpoint to chat with me about the topic of sex work, morality, and…
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Come see me at the Sixth Street Melodrama this Saturday from 2:00-4:00 pm! I’ll be reading with three other authors after the Founder’s Day parade. We will all be selling and signing books as well. For more information about this Saturday’s big event, click here: https://www.wallacefoundersday.com/events. Yesterday I drove over to Spokane Public Radio to talk with Verne Windham about Wallace’s Founder’s Day event this Saturday, the book, and a little about my own background as well… It was a live broadcast, but you can listen to the 17 minute show here: https://www.spokanepublicradio.org/programming/2017-06-21/from-the-studio-author-heather-branstetter After the show, I met up with a…