Rossland Vices - Brothels

Brothels, Sex Work, and Cribs

History

Although it was deemed socially unacceptable, sex work was an inevitable component of British Columbia’s early mining communities.  In Rossland, it was no different, with city officials viewing it as a “necessary evil.”  Sex work provided a form of companionship to hundreds of lonely miners, while also providing employment as well as income to the city in the form of fines.

Sex work in Rossland was concentrated in and around the infamous Sourdough Alley.  In the 1890s, Sourdough Alley was a collection of hastily-constructed wooden shacks and tents, housing a variety of residences and businesses.  Outside of Rossland’s “respectable” downtown core, Sourdough Alley was seen as a tolerable location for the industry of sex work.  A number of brothels, however, operated outside of Sourdough Alley and a few even operated right in the “respectable” area of Rossland.  

Many sex workers worked out of brothels, under the management of a “madam.”  A madam was responsible for the administration of their “girls,” often helping to procure clients.  In exchange, the madam would receive a portion of the sex worker’s earnings.  One of Rossland’s most well-known madams was Stella Heatley, who owned the Vancouver House Hotel.  Stella is believed to have operated the Vancouver House Hotel as a brothel from approximately 1897 to 1902.  The hotel was located on Queen Street in what was considered a more “respectable” area of the city.

Stella had run-ins with the Rossland Police Department throughout her time in Rossland. In July 1897, during an apparent crackdown on sex work, Police Chief John Ingram arrested Stella and a number of other alleged madams (a total of seventeen) for “Keeping a House of Ill-Fame.” Stella pled guilty and was subsequently fined $30 (approximately $1,000 in 2022). Ironically, Police Chief John Ingram was himself a well-known patron of local brothels. He had to resign from his previous role as the police chief of the Winnipeg Police Service after being caught in a brothel.

Cribs

Aside from working under a madam, many Rossland sex workers would also work alone, operating out of cribs. These so-called “cribs” were small rooms occupied or rented by independent sex workers. Reportedly, there were a number of cribs in Sourdough Alley as well as in a complex called McGregor Terrace, located behind the Vancouver House Hotel.

Concealing Sex Work

By the turn of the century, Rossland was changing from a rugged mining camp, into a developing city. As such, an effort was made to reduce the visibility of sex workers in the “respectable” area of Rossland. Madams were encouraged to move their businesses to an out-of-sight location––below Columbia Avenue on the eastern end of Kootenay and Le Roi avenues. Sex work was then contained behind “the line,” an imaginary boundary that separated the “Red-Light District” from the rest of Rossland. If a sex worker crossed “the line,” they risked being jailed.

Consequences

Sex work played an important economic role in Rossland.  The fines paid by madams and sex workers were similar to a business tax, used to boost a growing city’s income.  Many women relied on sex work to earn an income.   Employment for women was sparse in Rossland and many had arrived in the city unable to find any other job.  Sex work ensured consistent employment and money to provide for themselves and their families.  Despite this, sex work was often a dangerous job.  Sex workers were frequently subjected to violence by clients and had little protection from law enforcement.  The police’s response to reported assaults against sex workers was sporadic, often arriving hours after the incident, or not at all.  Although sex work was a well-known fact of life in Rossland, sex workers seldom received the same rights or respect as other community members.

Josie Perkins

Perhaps one of the most tragic stories involving sex work in Rossland is the story of Josie Perkins.  In February 1901, Josie travelled to Rossland from Victoria, allegedly in an attempt to escape memories of the recent death of her newborn baby.  In March 1901, however, Josie died of a drug overdose.

Josie was a known sex worker in Rossland, operating alongside fellow sex worker, Capitolia Burns.  On the morning of March 19, 1901, Josie and Capitolia began their day by seeing off their friend at the railway station.  Reportedly, Josie had begged the friend not to leave, but was unsuccessful.  Afterwards, Josie and Capitolia went to the Clifton and the Strand saloons, where Josie began drinking heavily.  For unknown reasons, the pair then visited the local undertaker, and Josie began looking at the display of children’s coffins, which reminded her about the recent death of her baby.  Josie purchased a children’s coffin and ordered it to be delivered to her home the following morning––an unusual request as her baby was already buried in a Victoria cemetery.

After the visit to the undertaker, Josie travelled alone to an opium den in Rossland’s Chinatown, where she began to consume a considerable amount of opium.  Josie frequently used opium to ‘forget’ the memories associated with her baby’s death.  On March 19, however, the amount of opium Josie consumed would prove lethal.  She was found dead in a house on St. Paul Street at approximately 1:00 am on March 20.  After an autopsy was conducted, the coroner confirmed that Josie died from an opium overdose.

Following Josie’s death, there was a public outcry to end sex work and the operation of opium dens in Rossland. Unfortunately, much of the outcry was masking racism against Rossland’s Chinese population. In spite of her occupation, the public sympathized with Josie, a white woman, and blamed Chinese opium den owners for her death. As a result, Rossland police raided a number of local opium dens and subsequently arrested members of the Chinese community.

Sources:

• BC Police - Rossland Branch Fonds. Collection of the Rossland Museum & Discovery Centre.

• City of Rossland Fire Insurance Maps, 1897. Collection of the Rossland Museum & Discovery Centre.

• Ripmeester, Michael. “Everyday Life in the Golden City: A Historical Geography of Rossland, British Columbia.” Vancouver, British Columbia: University of British Columbia, 1990.

• Rossland Miner. Collection of the Rossland Museum & Discovery Centre.

• Smith, Charleen. “Regulating Prostitution in British Columbia, 1895-1930.” Calgary, Alberta: University of Calgary, 2001.

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