Frontier Madam: The Life of Dell Burke, Lady of Lusk

Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: TwoDot; First edition November 1, 2007
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0762744391
ISBN-13: 978-0762744398
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This is the first biography of Dell Burke, whose estate sale drew national attention when she died in 1981 at age 93. Painstakingly researched for over five years, June Willson Read’s landmark history tells the story of a broken young woman who saw opportunities in the Alaskan gold rush, the copper mines in Montana and the oil fields in Wyoming. But it wasn’t mining that made Burke’s fortune – she focused on the entertainment needs of the lonely men who poured into the uncharted west to strike it rich. In 1919, the genteel and gracious Burke opened the Yellow Hotel brothel in Lusk, Wyoming, where she reigned for six decades, until 1978. Although condemned for her profession, she was beloved for her generosity and her devotion to the community. For example, during the Depression, Burke financed Lusk’s water-power system and single-handedly saved the town from going bankrupt. Read interviewed locals, historians, and Burke descendents to present a fascinating story of a little-known entrepreneurial powerhouse.

“As a teenager in Lusk, Wyoming, I was only 16 when I first met this unique lady, Dell Burke.  I still have vivid memories of a most classy courtesan.  June Willson Read has accomplished a near miracle in bringing Dell back to life for all to also know and appreciate.

“You will recognize the scent of expensive French perfume and be amused at how she paid for nearly everything with carefully prepared packets of $5.00 bills.  Pleasure was her business.  But Dell’s pleasure was making her clients the happiest men in that part of the world.”

--George Wm. Treat Flint, Executive Director, Nevada Brothel Owner’s Association

“It is a difficult journey to discover the family history of a private person.  I was happy to collaborate with June Willson Read, whose extensive research helped find some of the missing pieces of the picture of my great aunt, Dell Burke, one of the self-made women of the West.  The summer of 1981 focused on the estate of one of the last madams of the West, but as you read Frontier Madam, you will learn the rest of the story.”

-- Loraine A. Fisher, great niece of Dell Burke