Minneapolis Madams: The Lost History of Prostitution on the Riverfront

3. Red Lights along the Riverfront: The Madams Make Their Move

93 THREE Red Lights along the Riverfront The Madams Make Their Move The Sixth Ward people will not submit to having the “scarlet sisterhood” located in their midst. . . . They do not want their property values depreciated; they do not want their best business streets encroached upon by houses of ill-fame; . . . they do not want their wives and daughters compelled to elbow on the street and the stores, the devotees to a life of shame. —“VERY LARGE RED ‘NO,’” ST. PAUL GLOBE, FEBRUARY 10, 1891 The 1880s had been a time of opportunity for Minneapolis madams ; as the city grew in wealth and population, so did they. During this decade, a rough balance was reached between the forces of reform and those representing vice. Neither liquor nor prostitution could be eradicated, but both could be contained within designated geographic areas. Periodically, especially large fines would be levied against some madams, and occasionally one would be sent to prison. Still, from 1881 to 1890, only two Minneapolis madams served any time at Stillwater penitentiary.1 The arrangement allowed reformers the appearance of being in control, while the madams were free to conduct business and accumulate ever-larger bankrolls. It was only a matter of time before the successful madams would seek to advertise their wealth and expand into larger, more elegant bordellos that suited their particular needs and tastes, as Nettie Conley had done earlier. To accomplish this the madams would have to become real estate owners. Red Lights along the Riverfront 94 THE FIRST STREET RED-LIGHT DISTRICT DECLINES Even before an 1891 newspaper predicted the end of the First Street red-light district, some of its most prosperous madams were making plans to move away. A reporter stated with conviction that “the notorious houses of ill fame on First Street and vicinity” would be removed . An unnamed “committee,” hoping to close down the district, persuaded the Northern Pacific Railway to refuse any more rents from their tenants on the eastern side (river side) of First Street South and stated that “the priestesses of vice” would soon be gone. As for the other side of the street, the writer opined that if the property owners did not evict “the objectionable tenants,” they would be driven to do so by unfavorable publicity. Just how property owners like Nettie Conley or Mary France would be embarrassed by public exposure was not explained, but the reporter forecast that soon many of the current First Street residents would be relocated across the river.2 A year later Main Street did have more bordellos, but while First Street lost much of its luster, brothel-based prostitution continued there well into the twentieth century.3 Madams with higher aspirations and more capital recognized that First Street was becoming a less desirable place to conduct their business . The area was turning into a magnet for lumberjacks, agricultural workers, and other transient laborers who gathered to rest between jobs or scour the employment agencies to find their next assignment. The 1890 city directory lists twelve employment agencies, all in the Bridge Square area. By 1892 the first “cage hotels” made their appearance in the neighborhood. As the name suggests, a cage hotel offered small cubicles with locking doors and chicken wire over the top that allowed for air circulation, but kept other guests from climbing from one cage to another, providing a modicum of security for a low price.4 These were hardly the sort of men who could afford to patronize the parlor brothels run by Nettie Conley or Jennie Jones. Bridge Square was remembered by a Minneapolis policeman who patrolled the area during the 1890s as “a hot old place,” with crowds on the street until 4:00 a.m. “A policeman on the Bridge Square beat didn’t think he was working unless he broke up a half dozen fights a night.” For their part the lumberjacks “didn’t seem to feel right when they were full of liquor unless they used their fists.”5 Red Lights along the Riverfront 95 As the city grew away from the riverfront the central business district shifted away from Bridge Square, and important businesses ranging from shops and banks to high-end bordellos moved to other locations. In 1879 nine of the ten banks in the city were located on or near Bridge Square. By 1900, however, Minneapolis had thirteen banks, but only two...