SigMT

brothel in 1890 using the maiden name of Joseph's wife, Delia Dumas. A long line of savvy madams propelled the operation through the decades until 1982, when the Bue-Silver Bow Sheriff shut the "ladies of the night" down for good. By that time, the Dumas had established itself as the longest-running active brothel in U.S. history. Today, the Dumas Brothel remains a keeper of secrets. Rumors of a mysterious subbasement and a series of tunnels connecting the brothel with other former "houses of ill repute" and the Bue mine persist, but the historic building has thus far refused to share her tales, Dumas Brothel owner Charlee Prince says. e spirits who still linger in the brothel are a different story, according to Charlee, who purchased the building with her husband, David, in October of 2018. "ere is almost always activity at the Dumas – disembodied voices, partial apparitions, people being touched," she says. "You might see a ghost!" Charlee especially enjoys being able to share the building with curious visitors. "It is one of the few remaining pieces of this type of history, and it was an important part of the area's economy and social structure," t takes but a moment of studying the Victorian facade of the three-story, 131-year-old brick building in the heart of Bue's former red-light district to imagine the sordid secrets locked away within its rooms. For 92 years of its existence, the Dumas Brothel's hallways bustled with activity – even aer prostitution went "underground" in the 1940s. Brothers Arthur and Joseph Nadeau opened the A Glimpse into Butte's Historic Once-Bustling Red-Light District SiG MT 15 URBAN AFFAIRS I 45 East Mercury Street • Butte, MT TEXT BY HOLLY MATKIN PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANGELA VIDRICH NEIGHBORHOODS B U T T E M O N T A N A To learn more, visit www.dumasbrothel.com. e Dumas Brothel is also on Instagram and Facebook. Phone: 406-351-9922 "ere is almost always activity at the Dumas – disembodied voices, partial apparitions, people being touched," she says. "You might see a ghost!" DUMAS BROTHEL: she notes. "e architecture is wonderful – the high ceilings, crown molding – it must have been so elegant it its prime." e Princes host guided hour-long tours of the brothel from May to September. Tickets cost $15 per person. Children are welcome, and "family friendly" tours can be arranged with advance notice. Opportunities for paranormal investigations can also be arranged. The Dumas is the home of the longest-running active brothel in U.S. history. Tour through the storied hallways while learning about Butte's "ladies of the night." Witness the elegance of the Dumas as you step back in time.

• Cover