Durango in La Plata County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
The “Fancy” Ladies
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 14, 2025
1. The “Fancy” Ladies Marker
“Resolve that the Mayor instruct the City Marshall to stop all fancy women from riding on horseback or in open carriages or otherwise exhibiting or advertising their occupation on the streets of the City of Durango.”
—Durango City Council, October 1, 1889
Like the horse and carriage, a red-light district and the West went together in the 1890s, and Durango was no different. For two city blocks along the banks of the Animas River on the “wrong side of the tracks” were saloons, dance halls, gambling “hells,” variety theatres, stables, corrals, and, of course, parlor houses and cribs for the “fancy” ladies. The red-light district furnished “good attractions” and helped to stimulate overall business in a growing-community. As Durango matured, the district changed into a working-class neighborhood with locally owned businesses. The last vestiges of its earlier notoriety, however, did not disappear until the 1950s.
Before the turn of the century, ordinances were passed by the city council that outlawed prostitution. Rather than closing establishments, monthly fines were assessed for each “working lady.” This fine was like a tax and it helped fund citywide projects.
“I enjoyed being a sporting person. Some of the guys were nice, some of themsons of guns.”
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—Durango Madam, Nellie “Iris” Spencer
Erected by Colorado Historical Society and City of Durango.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Law Enforcement • Women. A significant historical date for this entry is October 1, 1889.
Location. 37° 16.657′ N, 107° 52.921′ W. Marker is in Durango, Colorado, in La Plata County. It can be reached from West 12th Street just west of Camino Del Rio (U.S. 550). The marker is located beside the Animas River Trail, in Iris Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1175 Camino Del Rio, Durango CO 81301, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American Mountain West and at the Four Corners. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: La Plata County Vietnam Veteran Memorial (a few steps from this marker); Swivel End-dump Car (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Shaft “Can” Skip (about 300 feet away); The American Dream (about 300 feet away); Stuart Allen Roosa (about 500 feet away); A Pleasant Summer Afternoon, circa 1885 (about 700 feet away); Electric Revolution (about 800 feet away); Early Durango circa 1889 (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Durango.
Also see . . . Sisters in Sin - the Nellie Spencer Story (GoodReads.com).
(by(Submitted on January 12, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)Duane A. Smith) Excerpt: Nellie K. Spencer was an early-day prostitute and also a survivor. From her childhood to her senior years, she persevered against odds that might have sunk a less determined individual. Her story is that of an indomitable woman who thrived and prospered in the world of prostitution during the waning years of the Old West, through the Roaring Twenties, an into the World War II era. Interviewed by author Duane A. Smith during the early 1980s when she was in her nineties, Nellie tells an amazing story of her days "on the line," with no hint of regret. Also, included in the book is information about the red light districts in some of Southwestern Colorado's boomtowns. This book gives insight into America's frontier days through the eyes of a woman who could lay claim to being the last of the Wild West's ladies of the lamplight.Courtesy Duane Smith, History Professor, Fort Lewis College2. Marker detail: Bell McCoyBell McCoy worked the “line” in Durango’s red-light district.
Kansas State Historical Society
3. Marker detail: Dance Hall Etching
Map by Mrs. Ruth McCray, Pioneers of San Juan County
4. Marker detail: Map of Durango 's Red-light District
Map of Durango 's red-light district along the Animas River, with businesses such as the Variety Theatre, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Silver Bell, and the Clipper.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 14, 2025
5. The “Fancy” Ladies Marker
Looking west from Iris Park, the Animas River is in the background.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 9, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 154 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on January 12, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
