About this episode

This episode traces the history of prostitution along the Mississippi River, highlighting the tension between tolerance and regulation.

Send us Fan Mail From the brothels of post-Civil War-era St. Louis to the streets of New Orleans' Storyville, this episode traces the history of prostitution along the Mississippi River — and the endless tug-of-war between tolerance, regulation, and suppression that has defined it. We start with Eliza Haycraft, a remarkable St. Louis woman who arrived penniless by canoe in 1840 and built a fortune running brothels, becoming one of the city's most generous philanthropists — and one of its most...

People in this episode

Host: Dean Klinkenberg

Topics covered

• history of prostitution
• Mississippi River towns
• brothels
• tolerance and regulation
• Eliza Haycraft

Keywords

• prostitution
• brothels
• Mississippi River
• St. Louis
• New Orleans
• Eliza Haycraft
• history

Mentioned in this episode

Places: St. Louis, New Orleans, Mississippi River, Storyville

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