Article by Linda Digby, Executive Director of the Atlas Coal Mine National Historic Site outside Drumheller, Alberta, Canada
Drumheller’s early mining communities consisted mainly of men, immigrants from around the world who saw mining as the ticket to a new life. The ratio of men to women was greater than any other place in Alberta. They lived in drafty shanties, thrown together out of scrap wood, or willow and mud. It was common for two or more men to share a tiny shack; some even took shifts on the single bed. In the winter, miners walked to and from the pit in the dark, and laboured underground in the dark. The bright spot in their lives was Saturday night.
For many, Saturday night meant a visit to one of the many brothels in the valley. The
brothels offered many comforts, including good food, a game of cards, moonshine, and women’s company.Some of the women remembered over the years are Mary Roper, Fanny Ramsey, Pretty Alice, and Cadomin Kate.Most coalminers didn’t own cars, and getting to the brothels posed a challenge.
As intelligent business women, some of the madams addressed this problem by sending carloads of girls to mine communities on payday. In fact, one miner recalls women going right onto mine property, waiting just outside the wash house or mine office, to settle debts and arrange further business transactions. It is said that one enterprising woman set up business right in the attic of the miners’ wash house. Payday was such a productive business day that some married women were hired back as part time help to meet the demand.
Along with easing the loneliness of miners, the brothels formed the first social services agency in the valley. Residents remember that after a miner were injured or killed, women from the brothels were the first to send food, blankets, and clothing to the bereaved family. In particular, Fanny was so well known for her generosity, that after she died, she attracted the biggest group of mourners ever to attend a funeral in Drumheller.
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Copyright 2006 Drumheller Community Futures and the Atlas Coal Mine National Historic Site