Oklahoma City's First Female Entrepreneurs: Some Early Madam's

Most of the attention, deserved or not, in writings about the early days of "Hell's Half Acre"

went to Madam Annie Wynn Bailey aka "Big Ann" or "Big Annie."  There were lots of predecessors and competitors.  Here is a working list of some of the Madams and Working Girls found to date. Are these there real names?  Sometimes. Like many women in similar lives, they changed names and histories like some changed shoes. A woman might become someone new on leaving one location. Maybe as a way to start fresh, to hide, or pretend.

Some of the earliest papers are filled with one Mable Warren who ran a stable of saucy women who often took their parties out into the streets of "Hell" to the shock of nearby new citizens. One instance saw two women with two cowboy friends, the women in scanty clothes, and freely sharing bottles of liquer, shouting, cursing, and generally putting on quite a show for the people in a nearby hotel/boarding house seated on a balcony.

Ann Wynn Bailey does not show up in a police court report until 1895. The pages do contain many other women fined for operating a hose of prostitution or being an "inmate" of the same.

In 1898, a Lillian Day was fined for running a house of prostitution but no location was given.

The Vendome, Bunco Alley (24 1/2 W. Grand now Sheridan)  in Hell's Half Acre, was the most elite establishment with Brussels carpets and fine furnishings was run by Ethel, sometimes called Eva, Clopton. They also had a woman there known as "Sportive Lizzie."

In about 1890, most of the houses were moving out of "Hell" and going 'uptown' taking over W. 2nd (now Kerr) between Harvey and Hudson Streets. That area was called "Harlot's Lane" and many large houses did enthusiastic business there on both sides of the street: Etta Woods Creole Girls, The Arlington (an elegant established owned by Big Ann but run by Madame McDonald), Nina Truelove's place, a circus atmosphere prevailed at the building shaped like a ship called 'Noah's Ark' run by Big Liz aka Mary Belle Everhardt and sometimes Evans and Big Anne's Place 444 (once the Clopton Club) managed for her by Effie Fisher until she died by a mysterious assassin in 1903.

 In 1905, Jean (Julia) Lamonte, aka Madam Brentlinger was heading the "Red Star" at 431 W. 2nd (now Kerr).  She had come, with Big Anne, on the day of the run in 1889.

In 1906, Eva Ryan's house of prostitution was at 28 1/2 W. Grand when she was fined; Irene James was fined for operating a house but no address or name given in police court records Eva had been around a long time too and was apparently well known for offering wild entertatinment as well. 

At the same time Naomi Harris, Emma Bryan, Bernice Daniel, and Mary Mangold were fined for working in a bawdy house. That same year, it was recognized that one Ethel Preston was an 'inmate' of the Corn Exchange at 326 W. Grand, when one man shot and killed another over her favors.

In 1907, a 'high tone house' was being run in April by a "Mrs. Summers" at Broadway and Washington. The City Directory lists a widow Sara L. (Mrs. John) Summers at 129 W. Washington who may or may not be the same woman.

 In 1909, the inmates of a house at 31 W. Washington were fined...Mary Johnson, Nell Johnson, and Grace Davis.

There was also the Foss House at Washington and Robinson, south of Reno. Many of these streets were eradicated or renamed over time.

 

--(c) Marilyn A. Hudson