Madam Dora DuFran or Dora Bolshaw (née Amy Helen Dorothy Bolshaw; November 16, 1868 – August 5, 1934) was one of the leading and most successful madams in the

Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

days of

Deadwood, South Dakota Deadwood ( Lakota: ''Owáyasuta''; "To approve or confirm things") is a city that serves as county seat of Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. It was named by early settlers after the dead trees found in its gulch. The city had ...

Biography

Dora was born in

Liverpool, England Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

and emigrated to the United States with her parents Joseph John (November 14, 1842 - March 26, 1911) and Isabella Neal (Cummings) Bolshaw (November 12, 1844 - April 12, 1911) sometime around 1869. The family settled first at

Bloomfield, New Jersey Bloomfield is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 53,105. It surrounds the Bloomfield Green Historic District. History The initial patent for the land tha ...

, then moved to

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United St ...

in 1876 or 1877. She was an extremely good looking woman in her youth, and became involved in prostitution around the age of 13 or 14. She then became a

dance hall girl A taxi dancer is a paid dance partner in a partner dance. Taxi dancers are hired to dance with their customers on a dance-by-dance basis. When taxi dancing first appeared in taxi-dance halls during the early 20th century in the United States, mal ...

, calling herself Amy Helen Bolshaw. The

gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New Z ...

hit

when she was around 15, and Dora promoted herself to ''Madam'' and began operating a brothel. Dora coined the term "cathouse".

Career

Dora preferred having pretty girls work in her brothel, but the selection in that part of the west was extremely limited. She usually did, however, demand that her girls practice good

hygiene Hygiene is a series of practices performed to preserve health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Personal hygiene refer ...

and dress well. She picked up several girls who arrived in Deadwood via the

wagon train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...

led by

Charlie Utter Charles H. "Colorado Charlie" Utter (March 14, 1838 – July 3, 1915) was a figure of the American Wild West, best known as a great friend and companion of Wild Bill Hickok. He was also friends with Calamity Jane. Early life Utter was born i ...

. From time to time, Old West personality Martha Jane Burke (

Calamity Jane Martha Jane Cannary (May 1, 1852 – August 1, 1903), better known as Calamity Jane, was an American frontierswoman, sharpshooter, and storyteller. In addition to many exploits she was known for being an acquaintance of Wild Bill Hickok. Late ...

, 1852–1903) was in her employ. Dora's main competition in Deadwood was Madam

Mollie Johnson Mollie Johnson was a 19th-century madam in Deadwood, South Dakota. Johnson was born in Alabama, and migrated west due to the demand for working prostitutes. Indications are that she began working that trade in her early teens, around the age of 15 ...

. Dora coined the term "cathouse" after having "Phatty Thompson" (a Deadwood historical fact) bring her a wagon of cats for her Deadwood brothel. It was not Charlie Utter who brought the cats. Dora had several brothels over the years. The most popular was called "Diddlin' Dora's", located on Fifth Avenue in

Belle Fourche, South Dakota Belle Fourche (; ) is a city in and the county seat of Butte County, South Dakota, United States. Its population was 5,617 at the 2020 census. It is near the geographic center of the United States, which moved some 550 miles northwest from the ...

. "Diddlin' Dora's advertised itself as 'Three D's - Dining, Drinking, and Dancing - a place where you can bring your mother.' And though the cowboys frequented the popular place, most just wanted to 'get down to business,' with at least one man remarking, 'I wouldn't want my mother to know I had ever been there.'" Dora also owned The Green Front Hotel, which is where the cats were placed into service. Dora's other brothels in South Dakota and Montana were located in

Lead Lead is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metals, heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale of mineral hardness#Intermediate ...

, Miles City, Sturgis, and Deadwood. While in Deadwood, Dora got married and continued her brothel operations. After her husband's death, she moved the business to

Rapid City, South Dakota Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western So ...

, where she continued having success as a brothel owner.

Marriage

Dora married Joseph M. DuFran (June 16, 1862 - August 3, 1909), "a personable gentleman gambler" who helped grow her business.

Death

Dora died of heart failure in 1934. Her pet parrot Fred and husband Joseph are buried with her at Mount Moriah Cemetery in Deadwood.

Publication

DuFran (under the pseudonym: d'Dee) published a 12-page booklet on

titled ''Low Down on Calamity Jane'' (1932). In 1981, this booklet was reprinted in an expanded 47-page version, edited by Helen Rezatto.

In popular culture

* Dora DuFran is featured in

Larry McMurtry Larry Jeff McMurtry (June 3, 1936March 25, 2021) was an American novelist, essayist, bookseller and screenwriter whose work was predominantly set in either the Old West or contemporary Texas.

's book about

, titled '' Buffalo Girls: A Novel'' (1990). * In the made-for-TV movie '' Buffalo Girls'' (1995), based on McMurtry's book, Dora DuFran is played by

Melanie Griffith Melanie Richards Griffith (born August 9, 1957) is an American actress. She began her career in the 1970s, appearing in several independent thriller films before achieving mainstream success in the mid-1980s. Born in Manhattan, New York City, ...

. * In the HBO TV series

Deadwood Deadwood may refer to: Places Canada * Deadwood, Alberta * Deadwood, British Columbia * Deadwood River, a tributary of the Dease River in northern British Columbia United States * Deadwood, California (disambiguation), several communiti ...

and '' Deadwood: The Movie'', the character of

Joanie Stubbs This article contains descriptions and biographies of fictional characters appearing in the HBO original television series '' Deadwood'' and in 2019's '' Deadwood: The Movie''. Cast Main cast Recurring cast Main characters Seth Bullock Set ...

is loosely based on Dora DuFran. Joanie Stubbs is played by actress Kim Dickens.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:DuFran, Dora People from Deadwood, South Dakota People from Lincoln, Nebraska People of the American Old West 1873 births 1934 deaths American prostitutes American brothel owners and madams People from Rapid City, South Dakota British emigrants to the United States