Selling Sex in Utah: A History of Vice
September 7, 2023 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Event Details
Award-winning writer Eileen Hallet Stone, combing newspapers, archives, and court cases, will address the lives, equity, and infamy of Utah prostitutes and the challenges and dangers they faced selling sex. Her book, Selling Sex in Utah: A History of Vice, was just published in 2023.
In the late 1840s, when the new frontier west of the Missouri River opened its floodgates to opportunity and adventure, men were many, women were scarce, and prostitutes poured into what became the Territory of Utah to ply their trade. Within decades, red-light districts, brothels, and cribs sprouted like wildflowers in cities and towns. Ogden’s notoriously business-savvy madam, Belle London, operated a large prostitution syndicate and invested in real estate. Park City’s Mother Urban successfully defended her 16-row houses as “necessities” for hundreds of miners. The ballyhooed brothels of Helper stimulated “hunting trips” for Salt Lake men willing to travel for sex.
About the author, Eileen Hallet Stone:
Award-winning author and former Salt Lake Tribune columnist Eileen Hallet Stone’s projects include Auerbach’s: The Store that Performs What It Promises, Historic Tales of Utah, Hidden History of Utah, A Homeland in the West: Utah Jews Remember and Missing Stories: An Oral History of Ethnic and Minority Groups in Utah, co-authored with Leslie Kelen. Her commentary is featured in the 2015 documentary film Carvalho’s Journey.
Date: September 7, 2023 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Time: 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Venue
- Park City Library
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1255 Park Avenue
Park City, Utah 84060 + Google Map