Railroaders and Railfans Everywhere:
Going to violate the prohibition of talking about "sex", all in the interest
of railroadology.
This isn't Great Northern- and it isn't Burlington-related, but it is "The
Railroad helped build and populate the West, with all the good and the bad
that went along with it", and it is Milwaukee-related. This would have been
a story I would have expected to come out of Butte, not Great Falls.
If the source for the following wasn't "scholarly" (researched and written
by a retired college prof, Jay Moynahan of Spokane) and the name of at least
one of the participants (O. S. Warden, there is a bridge in Great Falls
named for him, and he was well-known for being a local promoter of all good
things) known to me, I would maybe doubt the following story. But, for the
moment, until someone can come up with scholarly information that says it
ain't so, I will post it with the question, Has anybody ever heard of a
railroad, any railroad, helping build a house of prostitution? The
following is from Red Light Revelations, A Glance at Great Falls' Lusty Past
1889-1918
APPENDIX B
TENTH ALLEY SOUTH
The description of Great Falls prostitution in this appendix is from a three
page hand written document title "Tenth Alley South'. The contents of this
appendix are from the file titled "Great Falls- Red Light District" located
in the Montana Room of the Great Falls Library. Punctuation, grammar and
spelling are as they appear in the original.
Tenth Alley South
It was probably 1913 when Great Falls became aware that The Milwaukee
Railroad as a part of its westward expansion planned to build a branch line
from Harlowtown, on its main line, north and west through the Judith Basin
and around the north end of the Highwood Mountains to Great Falls with a
branch from there to Agawam. Great Falls would be the headquarters for this
branch line, with a "roundhouse" and an impressive passenger depot.
This meant much new business for Great Falls and likewise an influx of labor
during the construction period.
Prostitution was then firmly established in Great Falls under the control of
several very influential "madams". However, prostitutes did, on occasion
openly solicit on the streets of downtown Great Falls, and their presence
there was an affront to the good ladies of the town.
The coming invasion of the town by great numbers of construction workers
seeking drink and female companionship inevitably meant a like invasion of
females ready, willing and eager to provide the companionship at a price.
Obviously something must be done to control this situation, and make
downtown Great Falls a place where a "decent" woman could safely walk.
My father, Sam Stephenson, was the local attorney representing the Milwaukee
Railroad. His partner Ranson Cooper, was the attorney for Great Falls
Townsite Company, which owned and controlled the unsold portions of the land
constituting the Townsite of Great Falls and its additions. 0 S Warden was
the owner and publisher of the Great Falls Tribune (and its evening
affiliate, the Great Falls Leader), the most influential newspaper in the
state. An arrangement was made by and between these men and the madams
(obviously verbal and not reduced to writing since each one's word was good)
as follows:
The townsite company would provide the land, and it and the railroad would
provide the funds to construct a brick building at Second Street and Tenth
Alley South to suitably house the Madames and all of their prostitutes. The
madams, in turn, would see that prostitution was confined to this location,
and that on the street solicitation stopped.
I believe the necessary paper work for donation of said land and
construction of said building was completed when Sam Stephenson and a 0. S.
Warden made a formal call on Ranson Cooper, at his law office, and confirmed
the agreement as above set forth.
And the plan worked The building, commonly known as "Tenth Alley South" was
constructed. The madams and their girls moved in and opened for business.
Open street solicitations stopped. The good ladies of the town were
satisfied and everybody was happy, because it all worked.
My father Sam Stephenson had a somewhat perverse sense of humor. In later
years at public affairs where both he and 0 S Warden were present, he would
hail 0 S Warden, loudly as follows: "Hey Doc Remember when you and I served
on the whorehouse committee?" Mr. Warden was not amused.
April 21, 1987 John Stephenson, Sr.
Any particular reason why 10th Alley S? One reason was that it was
undeveloped land that the townsite company still owned. The Milwaukee Road
freight line gained access to the warehouse district through the alley
between 9th and 10th Ave. S, 10th Alley S. The tracks did not go past the
whorehouse, but they came within a half block of it before turning north to
reach the Milwaukee freight house and other warehouses and commercial
businesses.
Chuck Hatler
KC MO
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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