From whiskey, drugs, sporting women, and outlaws, to scandal, sex, sin, and saloons, the Wicked West was filled with both glitz and grits.
Though the vast majority of frontier settlers were hard-working men and women, there were plenty of others who lived life to the fullest – drinking, smoking, gambling, and often spending freely, and sometimes lavishly. Filled with numerous characters looking to make their fortunes, the Wild West was often rough, sometimes dangerous, and always unpredictable.
On these pages, you will find many of the notorious gamblers and scoundrels, as well as Painted Ladies, saloons of the Old West such as Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City, Kansas, and the Buckhorn Saloon in San Antonio, Texas. Take a stroll with infamous Madames including such names as Dora Dufran, “Chicago Joe” Hensley, Squirrel Tooth Alice as well as numerous other interesting characters.
Articles:
George Devol – Card Sharp of the Old West

Faro in Tonapah, Nevada in 1905
Kitty Leroy – Lady Gambler & Gunfighter
Lou “The Fixer” Blonger & the Notorious Blonger Brothers Gang
Soapy Smith – Bunco Man of the West
Poker Alice – Famous Frontier Gambler
Painted Ladies of the Old West
Big Nose Kate – Doc Holliday’s Sidekick
Eleanore Dumont – Madame Mustache Plays the West
Fannie Porter – San Antonio’s Famous Madam
Josephine “Chicago Joe” Hensley – Queen of Helena, Montana
Leading Madams of the Old West
Lottie Deno: Queen of the Paste Board Flippers
Monument to a Prostitute in Lusk, WY
The Painted Ladies of Deadwood Gulch
Pearl de Vere – Madam of Cripple Creek, CO
Texas Madame Squirrel Tooth Alice
Al Swearengen & the Notorious Gem Saloon
Saloon Art, Advertising, & Photo Prints
Scandals:
Baby Doe and The Tabor Triangle
It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues.
– Abraham Lincoln