Shoot outs, hard drinking and gambling. The Wild West is remembered for it's general lawlessness, but what might life have been like for the first women to join the American settlers as they moved west?

**TW: This episode contains mentions of suicide**

In this episode, we are investigating the lives of sex workers on the American frontier. Who were they? What were their living conditions like? And how were they treated by their contemporaries?

Kate is joined for this episode by Hollie Marquess, Dr Leo Oliva Distinguished Professor of History at Fort Hays State University.

This episode was edited by Tim Arstall and produced by Sophie Gee. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.

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