Mattie Silks of Colorado Queen of the Red Light District

From an early age she knew that she wanted to run a fancy parlour house. Knowledge became fact, and at the ripe age of 18 she was already managing one outside of Springfield, Illinois. The business was slow and profits were as slim as her, and so she made her way west to boomtowns in Missouri and Kansas.

Eventually, Mattie’s business made her way to Georgetown, Colorado in 1875. It was here that she set up another small parlour. With a business mindset, she saved the money coming in from this venture to build a larger one in Denver. Within a year her girls were making a name for themselves in the Mile High City. She opened one of the finest known parlour houses on Holladay Street (later named Market Street). Mattie set up a variety of small ventures up and down the street, with her main house of ill repute being located at 1942 Market Street and dubbed “The House of Mirrors”. It was a story-book three storied mansion with 27 rooms. Most of the furnishings were composed of the highest quality hardwoods, mainly maple.

Having a consistently delicate and genteel air about her, Mattie had certain rules to keep things organized and professional in her business. She kept a dozen well dressed and gorgeous women employed at a time. She provided the rooms, two meals a day at 11:00 and 5:00, and laundry services. The girls were responsible for the purchase of their own work attire. The girls were able to keep 50% of what they made, which was a large sum considering the prices for their services were very expensive. As the boss, Mattie Silks tolerated neither cursing nor smoking while on the job. Most importantly, the customers were to always be treated as gentlemen.

As was the case with the population as a whole, in the Old West, Mattie enjoyed the pastime gambling. The thrills of strategic luck and the possibilities of winnings excited and stimulated her mind and got her away from the hustle of stresses of her work life. In 1877 she was out betting on foot-racers, people who actually raced each other while others bet on them. One racer caught her eye. It was a man named Cortez Thomson. He wore pink tights and star-spangled racing trunks. As they dangled in each others company, the relationship between the two bloomed. They began to live together, and wanted to get married. The problem was that Cortez was already married, with a daughter, and try as he might he could not get a divorce. Instead, they got engaged. On August 24th, 1877, to celebrate the occasion, the couple held an enormous party at Olympic Gardens on Colfax Avenue. Located just off the southern banks of the Platte River, the crowds assembled in swarms and the celebration went off most of the day without a hitch. Today this area is known as Commons Park.

However, Mattie got herself into a historic argument with another madam named Katie Fulton. The argument was over Cortez, who was supposedly quite the ladies man. Alreadyhaving a wife, he now had two others fighting over him. Ms. Fulton felt that Mattie was taking her man, and she wanted him back. Someone suggested that they settle it like men. Cortez learned that they were going actually taking the advice and were about to duel over him. The idea of two beautiful women fighting over his affections most certainly made him feel special. All of those extraordinary feelings would change when the shots were fired. Each was handed a pistol and paced off their steps, turned, and fired. Mattie’s shot went astray, far away from her target. Katie’s shot was a direct hit, just not where she was aiming. Her shot struck Cortez in the neck. Although in pain, he survived the bullet. A few days later Katie was again on the attack, however the police were there to break it up before anything dramatic occurred. She was hauled of to jail never to be heard from again.

Thomson’s wife died in 1884. He was now able to marry Mattie, which was carried out a short time later. It was also said that he was $50,000 in debt to Mattie, so this might have played a part in the decision as well. A couple of years later, Thomson’s daughter passed away. It was found that she had a daughter whom was being left to Cortez. He refused to accept the child into his home. However, Mattie had different ideas, and graciously adopted the child. Not wanting the child to grow up in the atmosphere she had created, Mattie set the child up in a nice boarding home to grow up.

The marriage was unusual. Most would think that Mattie was the powerful one. However, research shows that Cortez made his mark as the head of the household. He carelessly spent Mattie’s profits and was constantly in demand of more. He was also very inconsiderate, in modern terms a jerk, and was known to literally ride his horse into Mattie’s house on occasion.

Thomson died when Mattie was 54. Mattie was broken, and spent a large sum of money to give him a lavish funeral service. He was buried in Denver’s Fairmount Cemetery in 1900.

Now a free woman, she put her concentrations back into her Old West empire. Every year Mattie traveled back east to enlist the services of “fresh” new talent. Upon arriving back in Denver, she would take on the practice of parading her new girls through the streets. It worked in promoting her establishments and reinvigorating clients who had lost interest in Mattie’s usual girls. The men were often crawling back to her doorstep before nightfall.

A new problem arose for Mattie, as pressures from City Hall were being put on prostitution. Also on the loom was prohibition. Mattie eventually succumbed to Denver authorities, but remained open for business as a hotel. Her girls became maids. In 1900, the census numbers show Mattie’s profession as a “land lady” renting out rooms to “female borders.”

She also hired a man named Jack Ready to be her new financial advisor, as well as bouncer. Mattie was lonely and in search of companionship, and so it wasn’t long before the two were intimately involved. They spent many years “dating” and becoming best of friends. In 1923, at the age of 77, Mattie said “I do” and married “Handsome” Jack Ready. She retired from her professional life and truly settled down. The newlyweds found a house on Laurence Street and lived peacefully for six years. Madam Mattie Silks passed away at Denver General Hospital on January 7th, 1929, at the age of 83, from complications due to a fractured hip.

She was buried next to her first husband, Cortez Thomson, at the Fairmount Cemetery under the name “Martha A. Ready.” Just before her death prostitution was outlawed around the country. Mattie was a very successful business woman, pulling in millions throughout her life. She continuously stressed to everyone that she was never a prostitute herself; she just prospered from those who were. Unfortunately, the money was poorly spent on a lavish lifestyle that included hardcore gambling and she died with less than $4,000 to her name. These funds were split between her adopted grandchild and Jack Ready. The city of Denver acknowledges her house, at what is now 2009 Market Street, as a historic preservation landmark complete with a brass plaque reading MATTIE SILKS HOUSE.

A few years before her death, at the age of 79, Mattie explained to the Denver newspaper her philosophy of her business life. “I went into the sporting life for business reasons and for no other. It was a way for a woman in those days to make money, and I made it. I considered myself then and I do now--as a businesswoman. I operated the best house in town and I had as my clients the most important men in the West.”

“I kept the names of my regular customers on a list. I never showed that list to anyone--nor will I tell you the names now. If a man did not conduct himself as a gentleman, he was not welcome nor ever permitted to come again. My customers knew I would not talk about them and they respected me for this.”

“My houses were well kept and well furnished. They had better furnishings than any of my competitors--gilt mirrors, velvet curtains.”

“I never took a girl into my house who had had no previous experience of life and men. That was a rule of mine. No innocent young girl was ever hired by me. And they came to me for the same reasons that I hired them. Because there was money in it for all of us.”

That was Mattie Silks.

Other Mattie Silks Readings:

Denver History: Denver Gov

Article Source: William Pings of OrangeBanyan.com, specializing in Asian Home Decor