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Deadwood’s history of bordellos from women’s perspectives

This interview originally aired on "In the Moment" on SDPB Radio.

We dive into the not-so-secret history of the bordellos of Deadwood and the real people who worked in them.

Chris Enss, author of "An Open Secret: The Story of Deadwood's Most Notorious Bordellos," takes us back to the Black Hills town before law and order had caught up with a booming rush for gold and pleasure.

Lori Walsh is the host and senior producer of In the Moment.
Ellen Koester is a producer of In the Moment, SDPB's daily news and culture broadcast.
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  • On May 21st, 1980 federal officials raided Deadwood’s infamous brothels, which led to their closure. The brothels had been open since the Gold Rush days when prostitutes first arrived in the mining town with Charlie Utter’s wagon train in 1876.