Prostitution is now typically viewed as an urban problem, but it was pervasive and generally accepted during the expansion of the American western states where 1 in 10 women were prostitutes. As thousands of men trekked westward in search of riches they were followed by many prostitutes. In fact, the term “hell on wheels” originated from the ladies who followed the Union Pacific railroad workers in wagons. However, the primary factor behind the tremendous demand for prostitution was a very disproportionate male to female ratio. For example, in 1860 there were only 30 women in the silver mining town of Virginia City, NV with a population 2,236.
There was so little female companionship in the West that it wasn’t unheard of for heterosexual men to have all male dances on Friday and Saturday nights. Half of the men would pin a white piece of cloth or handkerchief to their left arms to signify that they were playing the role of a lady. Later they’d switch cloths and switch gender roles for dancing. Some men would even put on skirts. Furthermore, the disparity in the male to female population was much the same in San Francisco at the beginning of the gold rush. “Whenever a woman appeared
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Likewise, there has long been an association with tolerance and support of prostitution from the U.S. military. During the early western expansion, numerous women followed the soldiers and camped along with them. Many of them were prostitutes who also provided additional services such as laundry and cooking. Consequently, many “laundresses” had common-law marriages with military men and officially traveled with them. In fact, laundresses received one ration a day, a place to live, and medical assistance. However, due to budget cuts, Congress officially banned this practice in 1878 and only allowed wives to live at the