'This Naughty, Naughty City': Prostitution in Eau Claire from the Frontier to the Progressive Era

Abstract

The history of sexuality has gained new respectability in recent years, perhaps because sexuality is now widely acknowledged as being shaped not only by nature but also by culture. With this emphasis on cultural influence, the study of prostitution and sexuality falls within the legitimate purview of social history. Windows are being opened, and light shed on a shadowy corner of American history. One such glimmer of light may be discerned by investigating the city of Eau Claire, Wisconsin in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and the prostitution that flourished there.

Keywords: prostitution, prostitutes, brothels, logging, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, 19th century, 20th century, Progressive Era