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The Brothels And House Of Ill Fame

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The brothels and House of ill fame were a distinct working class creation in Eau Claire. Its raise from 1880 to 1920 depended on industry in Eau Claire, particularly the lumber industry. The success of the prostitution can be known by studying the number of brothels throughout these decades. Author examines the relationship between the lumber industry, and the working class in Eau Claire to make this argument.
This article talks about how increase in lumber industry lead to increase in prostitution activity. After civil war the industry expanded dramatically and Eau Claire was a wealthy lumber town. But it was not only famous for that. Historians have said that hundreds of lumberjacks would move into town during each spring, after trees …show more content…

As one historian has noted, that in lumber towns prostitution was often the first business established. During the 1860’s Eau Claire was a pioneer settlement with little or no police supervision; prostitution operated openly, subject only to occasional outbreaks of mob violence.” (Shucha. B, 1997).
Since the beginning of time prostitution has been a part of our world 's culture, and it is said that it is the world 's oldest profession. Man has always been equally participated and felt the need to pay for services of a sexual nature since the beginning of time, whether it was legal or not. During 19th century woman who belonged to lower class family might have worked in order to support her family, in harsh times. During that time as farther away a woman moved from the mother and home, the lower her status became. Prostitution was clearly seen as disrespectful; the prostitute was at the bottom of society’s status chain. “During the late 19th- and early 20th century, the nature of society forced the working class women of Eau Claire to take advantage of any means to support themselves, including prostitution. Each woman had to decide herself which work option best supported her financially.”(Schaar.A) The wages these women earned were unbelievably low, and at times as much as 80% lower than the wages men earned. Back in those days there weren’t many jobs

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