Red Light District

Red Light District
in Rhyolite, Nevada

In February 1907 a committee of five from the miners' union filed a petition with the board of trade that all houses of ill repute be restricted to a district on the side of the canyon. The board of trade looked favorably upon the petition and notice was served upon the proprietors of such places to move within forty-eight hours. Notice was also served upon saloon keepers that women must be barred from saloons outside the district, or the offending places would be forced to close. Thus the "Red Light District" was formed. Officially, the district was bounded on the north by Broadway Avenue, on the south by Colorado Avenue, on the west by the alley between Main Street and Amargosa Street and on the east by Ladd. Some of the most valuable businesses in Rhyolite were located in the Red Light District.

Jewel's Consolidated

Mabel Vaughn was the first woman to buy property in Rhyolite, Nevada, when she purchased the lot on the corner of Amargosa and Broadway. She began doing business out of a small crib, but eventually erected an elegant two-story frame brothel with a wide, shady veranda, known as Jewel's Consolidated. Jewel's Consolidated was destroyed in the fire of August 1908 and never rebuilt.

The Adobe Dance Hall

The Adobe Dance Hall was located on the corner of Amargosa and Colorado. It was one of the first substantial structures built in Rhyolite. It was owned by Bob Bynum, an old prospector. The building was erected in May 1905 from locally made adobe bricks. The Adobe had a dance floor and bar. Men would frequent the establishment and pay women to dance with them. A long hallway ran along the dance floor leading to several small rooms where prostitutes took their clients for service.

Adobe Dance Hall - January 1908.
Adobe Dance Hall, January 1908.

Remains of the Adobe Dance Hall in 2009.
Photo © 2009 Alfreda Holloway. All Rights Reserved.

Cribs & Prostitutes

Prostitutes who worked out of cribs usually lived in them as well. Cribs were sparsely furnished with the following: a iron bed, springs and mattress; small rugs, a rocking chair, heavy curtains hung as a door, window shades, carpet, a quilt, a heating stove, a bowl and picture, a settee, two pillows, and a dresser or two. In most cribs there were no running water, toilet, or cooking facilities. These prostitutes usually took there meals at a restaurant on Main Street or sandwich shop within the Red Light District.

Fire in the Red Light District

In August 1908 a gasoline explosion in the Red Light District caused a fire that wiped out $50,000 worth of property. Several fine buildings were reduced to ashes, including Jewel's Consolidated.

The images below show a comparison of the Red Light District before and after the fire. Click on the images for larger views of each.