Denver Madame Mattie Silks ~ Julie Lence

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   Last month I blogged about Denver Madame, Jennie Rogers. This month I’m featuring Jennie’s rival and friend, Mattie Silks.

   Mattie was born in 1847. Some historians believe she was born in Terre Haute, Indiana while others say she was born in Buffalo, New York. Regardless of which is true, little is known about her childhood, including her maiden name or the reason she ran away from home when she was 16. By age nineteen, she was running a brothel in Springfield, Illinois. Many believe her to be the youngest madame on record, and Mattie credits her short height, ample bosom and blonde beauty in aiding her success. She was also a shrewd businesswoman and used those smarts to follow the railroad west, opening several houses along the way to serve the men building the railroad. Trekking through Kansas, and always carrying a gun, she met the love of her life, Cort Thomson, who left his family to follow Mattie.  Cort was tall and handsome, thought of himself as a southern gentleman, and held the occupation of professional runner. He firmly believed regular work was below him and would rather move from town to town to run foot races against the locals, earning a wage through the bets placed on him. He also gambled, drank, spent a lot of Mattie’s money, and was married to a woman in Texas who would not give him a divorce, so he and Mattie ‘lived together’.       

With Cort at her side, Mattie arrived in Colorado and opened brothels in Leadville and Georgetown before settling in Denver in 1876. She was 29 years old, and like her rival Jennie Silks, knew she could make more money in Denver from the men coming down from the mines in the mountain in search of female companionship. She eventually bought a house on McGaa Street, which later became Holladay Street and is currently Market Street. She hired twelve ‘boarders’ to occupy the house, then went on to buy more buildings on Holladay and rent them to other madames.  Because of her love for silk dresses, it is thought this is where her last name originated, though no one knows for sure. Gossip suggests that while in Georgetown she struck up a relationship with George A. Silks, who was a bartender and professional gambler, but with Cort usually close to her and the fact no record exists of Mattie and George marrying, and Mattie using the name Silks while in Kansas, this bit of gossip is likely false.  

As with other madames, Mattie did have a wild side and often found scandals attached to her name. She was arrested several times for fighting with other women in the trade, mostly over money or Cort, her most famous fight over him involving Katie Fulton. Mattie had won a thousand dollars on one of Cort’s footraces and threw a party to celebrate. Katie was in attendance and had been trying for weeks to lure Cort from Mattie. The situation came to a head at the party, and with each believing she was the better shot, they dueled in the street with pistols and missed each other, but Cort was grazed along the neck. Some suggest Mattie’s bullet struck him. Others say Katie’s bullet struck him, and each side of the debate wonders if the shooter actually meant to shoot him and not her adversary? With Cort bleeding and Mattie unable to stop the flow, she took him to the hospital. Eventually, he forgave her. She took him back and life continued.    

Mattie with her horse
theclio.com

  With her business savvy of buying and selling properties along Holladay street, plus her venture into horse racing, Mattie enjoyed a rich lifestyle, complete with expensive clothes she often went to Kansas to purchase. Her dresses always had two pockets; the left to hold gold coins and the right to hold her ivory handled pistol. She became known around Denver as the Queen of the Red Light District, and purchased a ranch for Cort near Wray, keeping the title in her name. Which was a good thing. In 1884, word arrived that Cort’s wife has passed away, leaving him free to marry Mattie, which he did. His daughter (some suggest his granddaughter) came to live with them, but theirs was not a happy home. Cort never abandoned his ways of gambling, drinking, and cheating, and Mattie finally filed for divorce in April 1891. She asked the court to return  all of the ranch’s holding to her name, stating that she had given Cort money to keep the ranch going and upon his wasting it on woman, booze and gambling,  she feared he was going to sell off everything and continue with his waywardness. The court granted her request, and later, Cort apologized to Mattie. She took him back and ceased with the divorce.    

Mattie and Cort traveled to London in 1897 for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee and then went on to Klondike to join the gold rush. Mattie ran a house in Dawson City and Cort continued with his gambling and living off of Mattie’s money until Mattie decided she didn’t like living in the mud and the rain and paid an enormous amount for them to return to Denver and her stable of 21 horses on her ranch in Wray before the weather changed and kept them in Klondike. (Interestingly, only one ever won a race.) Mattie resided in a small house on Lawrence Street, keeping her business separate from her personal life, while Cort stayed at the ranch. After a while, neighbors accused him of stealing their stock and changing their brands to his. Hearing the accusations, Mattie hired a new foreman, Jack Ready, to run the ranch correctly . Cort was eventually jailed for a spell, and in 1903 he became deathly ill after accepting a drink from his ranch hands. Mattie was by his side when he died a few days later, some say not from poison but from cirrhosis. She adopted his daughter, Rita, who was sixteen at the time. Rita married at age 18 and Mattie sold the ranch, moving foreman Jack Ready to Denver, where he became her  bookkeeper and bouncer.

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  As I mentioned last month, Mattie went on to buy Jennie Rogers’ parlor, dubbed the House of Mirrors, when Jennie died and had her name, M. Silks, engraved on the door. In 1915, prostitution was abolished and Mattie’s reign as Queen of the Red Light District ended. She tried her hand at operating a hotel, but gave up and went on to sell much of her belongings, taking up residence in a cottage on Lawrence Street. At 77, she fell and broke hip, did so a second time and landed in the hospital. To ensure she had someone to take care of her, she married Jack, and later passed at age 83 in 1929, leaving her estate, which wasn’t much for a woman who has once been filthy rich, to Jack and to Rita. She was buried in Fairmount Cemetery under the name Martha A. Ready, with Cort’s unmarked grave beside her.   

Handkerchief, Wild Rag, Bandana? Just What Is That Thing Around Your Neck?

 

What's That Around Your Neck, Pardner? 

A look at one of the most important items in a cowboy's gear. 

By Christina Cole

If you've ever watched a western -- and I'm guessing you probably have -- you've seen cowboys with kerchiefs. Maybe you've called them scarves, or bandanas. They go by a lot of different names, but one thing is certain. No real cowboy would work without one. 

When I think of bandanas -- which is what I've always called them -- the first image that comes to my mind is the rustler, robber, or the "bad guy" in the old western movies. You know. The one wearing the black hat. 

But then, I think, too, of cowboys on cattle drives. I think of the dust and dirt, and I realize the good guys often wore their bandanas pulled up over their faces, as well. 

Hiding one's face, or keeping out trail dust aren't the only ways a kerchief can be used, though. Of all the items a cowboy might own, wear, or keep close at hand, nothing serves more purposes than that ubiquitous piece of square cloth.

A surprising fact I learned as I was gathering information about bandanas, kerchiefs -- whatever you wish to call them -- is that unlike the cheap neckerchiefs I've picked up at local stores, usually dark blue or bright red with fancy western designs --- real ones are usually made of silk, not cotton.  Real silk is an extremely absorbent fiber which draws moisture away from the skin. It's also warmer than wool for winter wear. A good neck rag usually measures at least 30" x 30" square. You'll see them in a wide variety of colors and patterns.

In cold climes, the primary purpose of a "neck rag" or "wild rag" as they're often known, is to keep cold air away from the neck. The scarf is wrapped loosely around the neck and tucked into the collar. A cowboy's scarf -- by the way -- is NEVER knotted while he's working. He might tie his neck rag into a fancy knot for a shindig or barn dance, but a knot could spell big trouble if a cowboy got himself "hung up" while working. A hard knot won't loosen easily and a man could choke to death from a knotted rag.

So, we know they're warm around the neck, they keep out dirt and dust, and yes, a fellow can pull one up over his face to hide his identity. But that's only the beginning. A kerchief can be used in more ways then you've probably ever considered. 

A cowboy can use a "wild rag" to:

• Tie down his hat to keep his ears warm on a cold morning
• Spread out for a tablecloth at mealtime
• Serve as a napkin under his chin when eating
• Carry water to his horse
• Use it as a filter for drinking from a stream
• Clean his revolver
• Wipe his face 
• Wrap around his leg if his boot is chafing him
• Protect the back of his neck from sunburn
• Shoo away mosquitos
• Tie up a sore hand or arm
• Leave on a bush as a marker or sign
• Wrap up a small critter
• Wave to others as a signal
• Carry his grub
• Carry firewood
• Gather fruit
• Hold the handle of a hot pan
• Serve as a splint for a broken limb
• Wrap around his hands on a cold day
• Catch a fish
• Shine his boots
• Dry dishes
• Spread across his lap for his best girl to sit on

And, if the need arises, he can even use it to blow his nose. 

Bandana. Handkerchief. Neck Rag. Wild Rag. Kerchief. Buckaroo Scarf.  I guess it really doesn't matter what you call it, but if you're planning to head west to do any roping, riding, rustling, ranching, or robbing, you might want to stock up on those handy squares of silk.