By Kimberly Grist
Vocations for women in the Wild West were limited. Common jobs for women were often low paying, such as teacher, seamstress, or domestic servants. Most women were dependent upon the male family members to provide financial support.
Women were expected to find a man to marry and raise a family. Those who didn't were considered "Old Maids."
https://www.cmich.edu/research/clarke-historical-library
Meanwhile, the lack of women out west created a different opportunity. While there are a lot of misconceptions about Old West saloon girls, many served as what we might consider today as cocktail waitresses. Drinks sold between 10 and 75 cents, and the saloon girls made a percentage of the profit.
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Saloon girls wore low-cut gowns baring their shoulders. Their skirts were mid-shin or knee-length, displaying colorful petticoats that reached their boots and were considered scandalously short for the time. In the West, men often outnumbered women by three to one or more. As a result, they tended to revere all women and treated the saloon girls with respect.
As I considered the life of a saloon girl, the fictional saloon owner, Miss Kitty, in the long-running television show Gunsmoke came to mind. Saloon owners required the customers to treat the women nicely or risk being banned from the establishment and ostracised from the community.
Making A Saloon Girl - Betty Hutton - Gunsmoke 1965
A 1965 episode of Gunsmoke featured a demure Betty Hutton turned successful dance hall girl. Though many saloon girls eventually became wives and mothers, perhaps they wondered why a "respectable: woman would be so quick to choose to work so hard when given the opportunity to do something different.
Photo by Rejlander, 1854 to 56. From Victorian Working Women.
Dance Halls began to appear out West around the 1850s, offering the appeal of a saloon with a literal twist- dancing partners.
Photo: Frank H. Nowell / Wikimedia Commons / no restrictions
While frowned upon back East and by the local women of the community, the occupation of dance hall girl was thought of as respectable within the saloon circle. Customers could purchase a ticket to redeem for dances employed by the saloon. Each dance lasted about fifteen minutes; a popular girl could average forty or fifty dances a night. Both occupations could average ten to twelve dollars a week, comparable to what a school teacher might make monthly.
Unlike Hollywood's depictions, the ladies pictured inside a Dawson City dance hall were dressed conservatively. (Courtesy/Tyrrell collection, Fisher Rare Book Library, University of Toronto)
I had a lot of fun imagining the life of a Saloon girl, which inspired a character in my upcoming release, Hiram's Brides - Book 15: Double Trouble, Florence, or Flossie finds herself in a predicament when she is the eyewitness to a crime. Taking her skills and her colorful petticoats with her, she heads further west. Not one to ever miss an opportunity, she befriends a naive mail-order bride along the way.
Two brides, a teacher, and an imposter. If anyone can sort out the truth, shouldn't a former bounty hunter and now experienced sheriff be the man for the job? His true bride is quickly losing confidence. "Typical man, so easily bamboozled by a dimpled smile, flash of an ankle, and twisting skirt. It will serve him right if he marries the wrong woman."
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Dancing the Night Away
Dance Halls began to appear out West around the 1850s, offering the appeal of a saloon with a literal twist- dancing partners.
Photo: Frank H. Nowell / Wikimedia Commons / no restrictions
While frowned upon back East and by the local women of the community, the occupation of dance hall girl was thought of as respectable within the saloon circle. Customers could purchase a ticket to redeem for dances employed by the saloon. Each dance lasted about fifteen minutes; a popular girl could average forty or fifty dances a night. Both occupations could average ten to twelve dollars a week, comparable to what a school teacher might make monthly.
Unlike Hollywood's depictions, the ladies pictured inside a Dawson City dance hall were dressed conservatively. (Courtesy/Tyrrell collection, Fisher Rare Book Library, University of Toronto)
I had a lot of fun imagining the life of a Saloon girl, which inspired a character in my upcoming release, Hiram's Brides - Book 15: Double Trouble, Florence, or Flossie finds herself in a predicament when she is the eyewitness to a crime. Taking her skills and her colorful petticoats with her, she heads further west. Not one to ever miss an opportunity, she befriends a naive mail-order bride along the way.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CRHVJCVW
Connect With Kimberly:
Fans of historical romance set in the late 19th -century will enjoy stories combining, History, Humor, and Romance with an emphasis on Faith, Friends, and Good Clean Fun.
Why Can't We Be Friends?
Website: https://kimberlygrist.com/
F.B.: https://www.facebook.com/FaithFunandFriends/
Sign up for my newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/a920c145512a/kimberlygrist
Amazon: Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Kimberly-Grist/e/B07H2NTJ71
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kimberly-grist
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GristKimberly
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