WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING TOUR
of
Idaho Madams
By Milana Marsenich
Idaho Madams
Book Summary
Fur, silver, and gold first lured men to Idaho Territory. Women soon followed. And what women they were! Molly B’Damn, Peg Leg Annie, Spanish Belle, Lou Beevers, Diamond Tooth Lil—the names alone promised excitement and intrigue.
In fact, these madams led complex, turbulent lives. Meet Maggie Hall, a devout Catholic whose husband used her to pay off his gambling debts. Working as a prostitute, Maggie made her way west and, as Molly B’Damn, became the guardian angel of an Idaho mining camp. Or Annie McIntyre, a young girl among the prospectors and ne’er do wells of Rocky Bar who amassed a small fortune as the local madam only to lose it all—along with both her legs.
Idaho Madams uncovers the enigmatic and salacious lives of 30 women who ran brothels in the Gem State from the 1850s to the 1980s. Here are the hedonistic and sometimes heroic exploits of Effie Rogan, Jennie Girard, Nettie Bowen, Ginger Murphy, Dixie Colton, and Dot Allen, but also the unsung sagas of Carrie Young, Grace Freeman, Willow Herman, Hattie Carlton, and many more. As told by author Milana Marsenich, the stories of these women come alive with voluptuous detail, historical photographs, and the social context of the times.
Publisher: Farcountry Press (March 3, 2023)
Print length: 160 pages
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Author Guest Post
The Silver Valley’s 1972 Sunshine Mine Disaster
By Milana Marsenich
Drive I-90 through Northern Idaho, and partway between Wallace and Kellogg, at the mouth of the Big Creek Canyon, you’ll see a 13-foot-tall metal sculpture of a hard rock miner. His headlamp burns bright and shines toward the Sunshine Mine, the site of one of the worst mining accidents in America’s history.
The solid metal miner hoists his rock drill skyward, as if trying to ward off the tragedy. Under his feet, firmly planted in rock, 91 names are engraved into a plaque. They are the names of the miners who lost their lives on that fateful day in 1972.
Mining is hard, dirty work, full of dangers down every shaft, in every tunnel, around every slab of rock. In one-hundred-and-ten-years of mining, the Sunshine produced millions of tons of lead, zinc, and copper. It produced over 360 million ounces of silver.
May 2nd, midmorning, two electricians smelled smoke. When they couldn’t find the source of the fire, they alerted the foremen. They shouted warnings to the 173 men on shift that morning. Many passages to freedom had already filled with smoke. The fire burned on the air intake side of the mine. This meant that the very thing intended to protect the underground miners – fresh air – fueled the blaze. It also meant that deadly carbon monoxide circulated through the main airways.
All able-bodied men braved treacherous conditions to rescue their mining brothers. They were only able to hoist a few men up out of the shaft at a time. They had gotten 80 men out when the hoist operator died. After that, only a few more men were lifted to safety. At 2:00 pm a new batch of rescuers arrived and tried to locate survivors. They were too late. By then, only bodies remained to be recovered.
The tragedy resounded through the small mountain towns. Everyone lost someone that day. As the townspeople reeled in grief, neighbors delivered food, sat with the newly widowed, or looked after the now fatherless children. Madam Delores Arnold sent baskets of food to the families of the 91 miners who lost their lives. Ken Lonn of Auburn, Washington, a miner and a shift boss at the Sunshine after the fire, created the memorial.
Gestures large and small graced the homes of those left behind. Anyone who has been through such immense heartbreak knows that every comfort – a card, a kind word, a flower left at the accident site – every gesture, no matter the nature of it, helps. The townspeople pulled together to get through the grief-stricken time, taking care of each other, taking turns at being brave.
Each year on May 2nd a miner’s day ceremony honors those lost to the fire. The next time you drive through Idaho’s panhandle, stop and visit the memorial. Leave a rock or a flower or a kind word for the hardworking men who lost their lives that day.
About the Author
Award winning author, Milana Marsenich lives in Northwest Montana near Flathead Lake at the base of the beautiful Mission Mountains. She enjoys quick access to the mountains and has spent many hours hiking the wilderness trails with friends and dogs. For the past 20 years she has worked as a mental health therapist in a variety of settings. As a natural listener and a therapist, she has witnessed amazing generosity and courage in others. She first witnessed this in her hometown of Butte, Montana, a mining town with a rich history and the setting for Copper Sky, her first novel.
Copper Sky was chosen as a Spur Award finalist for Best Western Historical Novel in 2018. Her second novel, The Swan Keeper, was a Willa Award finalist in 2019. Her short story, Wild Dogs, won the Laura Award for short fiction in 2020.
She has an M.Ed. in Mental Health Counseling from Montana State University and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Montana. She has previously published in Montana Quarterly, Big Sky Journal, The Polishing Stone, The Moronic Ox, BookGlow, and Feminist Studies. She has four published novels, Copper Sky, The Swan Keeper, Beautiful Ghost, and Shed Girl, and one popular history book, Idaho Madams. Her popular history book, Mary MacLane: Butte’s Wild Woman and her Wooden Heart, will be out sometime in 2025.
You can follow the author at:
Website: https://milanamarsenich.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MilanaMarsenichAuthor
X/Twiiter: https://x.com/milanamarsenich
Blog Tour Calendar
November 18th @ The Muffin
Join us as we celebrate the launch of Milana Marsenich’s Idaho Madams Read an interview with the author and enter to win a copy of her book.
https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com
November 20th @ A Storybook World
Learn about Researching History from writer Milana Marsenich.
https://www.astorybookworld.com/
November 22nd @ Musings of a Literary Wanderer
Angela is celebrating Non-Fiction November with a review of Idaho Madams by Milana Marsenich.
https://musingsofaliterarywanderer.blogspot.com/
November 23rd @ A Wonderful World of Words
Author Milana Marsenich transports us to the Wild West with the story of Mary MacLane, Butte’s Wild Woman. Also, enjoy an excerpt from her latest book, Idaho Madams.
https://awonderfulworldofwordsa.blogspot.com/
November 25th @ Choices
Author Milana Marsenich visits with a guest post about The Town as Character.
https://www.madelinesharples.com/
November 27th @ Reading Is My Remedy
Read a review of Milana Marsenich’s nonfiction book, Idaho Madams.
https://readingismyremedy.wordpress.com/
November 28th @ The Faerie Review
Lily is reviewing Idaho Madams, a nonfiction history of the shady side of the Wild West.
https://www.thefaeriereview.com
November 29th @ Candid Canine
Today’s guest post by Milana Marsenich features Auditor, the Mining Dog.
https://candidcanine.blogspot.com
November 30th @ Nikki’s Book Reviews
Nikki is reviewing Idaho Madams and hosting author Milana Marsenich with a guest post about Keeping the Perspective within the Heart and Mind of the Character.
www.nikkitsbookreviews wordpress.com
December 5th @ Tracey Lampley
Read about the Brothel Freeze Framed in 1991 when author Milana Marsenich, author of Idaho Madams, visits today.
https://www.traceylampley.com
December 7th @ Guatemala Paula Loves to Read
Don’t miss the review is of the non-fiction history Idaho Madams by Milana Marsenich.
https://guatemalapaula.blogspot.com
December 9th @ Chapter Break
Author Milana Marsenich tells the tale of the Mine Disaster
https://chapterbreak.net
December 11th @ Reading Is My Remedy
Today’s guest post by Milana Marsenich is about The Character of Wallace, Idaho.
https://readingismyremedy.wordpress.com/
December 12th @ Some Thoughts – Everything Creativity
Wrtier Milana Marsenich address the ghostly aspects of a town or event in today’s guest post.
https://www.kaeceymccormick.com/blog
December 13th @ StoreyBook Reviews
Get a peek at an excerpt of Milana Marsenich’s book Idaho Madams. She’s also posting about Dogs and other Animals in Story Development.
https://www.storeybookreviews.com
December 14th @ Words by Webb
Head to the Wild West for a review of Idaho Madams.
https://www.jodiwebbwriter.com/blog
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