During the frenetic days of the Gold Rush, San Francisco was a land of scarcity, particularly when it came to women. In this burgeoning frontier town, a female presence was an almost unbelievably rare sight, often drawing more attention than an elephant might today, while a child was an even more extraordinary spectacle. This acute imbalance meant that the few women present, including the Barbary Coast harlots, received an unprecedented level of adulation and respect, a stark contrast to their usual societal standing.
Men would often halt their activities to simply gaze at the handful of children playing, and the appearance of any woman on the street could bring business to a standstill. Crowds would follow, while self-appointed escorts would clear a path, protecting her from the overly enthusiastic greetings of the emotional miners. One notable incident during an important auction of city lots on Montgomery Street saw the entire assembly abandon the proceedings when someone announced, “Two ladies going by on the sidewalk!” The men reportedly bared their heads in reverence, a testament to the era’s extraordinary reverence for the female sex.
The Genesis of the Red-Light District: Chileno Harlots
Historical accounts suggest an astonishingly low number of white women in San Francisco in the spring of 1849, possibly as few as fifteen, although this figure might exclude women of color or those from certain European nations. Regardless, the total female population likely did not exceed three hundred for at least a year into the gold excitement. A significant portion of these women, perhaps two-thirds, were harlots from Mexico, Peru, and Chile. These women, alongside men from similar Central and South American backgrounds, were collectively known as Chilenos, or more disparagingly, “greasers.”
These pioneering prostitutes established their presence in tents and rudimentary board shanties near Clark’s Point, around what is now Broadway and Pacific Street, and along the eastern and southern slopes of Telegraph Hill. This 300-foot elevation, north and west of Yerba Buena Cove, was famous for its signals announcing ships arriving via the Golden Gate. Privacy was a foreign concept in these early establishments, where sometimes half a dozen Chileno women shared a single, crude shelter. Their meager furnishings typically consisted of a wash-bowl and a few dilapidated cots or straw pallets. While some made a pretense of operating wash-houses, most devoted their nights – and often their days, if opportunity arose – to boisterous carousal and sexual services.
Many of the men who had brought these women to California had continued on to the gold fields. However, some remained in San Francisco, living off the women’s earnings and supplementing their income through theft from the district’s patrons. They also operated small, illicit gambling houses, further entrenching the vice economy.
An Influx of “Soiled Doves” from Afar
The first half of 1850 witnessed a dramatic increase in the female population, with approximately 2,000 women arriving in San Francisco. A large percentage of these new arrivals were also harlots, hailing from France and other European nations, as well as from the Eastern and Southern cities of the United States, notably New York and New Orleans. From this point onward, virtually every incoming ship brought more women, rapidly transforming San Francisco into a city with a red-light district that rivaled, if not surpassed, those in much larger cities across the globe.
In October 1850, the Pacific News excitedly announced the anticipated arrival of 900 more women from the French demi-monde. These women were supposedly hand-picked from the bagnios of Paris and Marseilles for their beauty, amiability, and professional skills. The same issue also subtly informed its readers that in the mines, Indian women were available at “reasonable prices.” Although only about fifty of the French women ultimately arrived, their presence still caused considerable excitement among the miners, who were eager to ascertain their professional prowess firsthand.
The Rise of the “Macks”
Many of these accomplished courtesans were accompanied by their pimps, whom they referred to as macquereaux. San Franciscans, in their characteristic forthrightness, quickly shortened this term to “macks.” This designation for those who manage prostitutes persists in San Francisco, despite the official abolition of the red-light district many decades ago.
From Cribs to Grand Soirées: Prostitutes in San Francisco’s Social Fabric
The newly arrived harlots diversified the landscape of San Francisco’s prostitution. While some joined their predecessors in the more humble dives on Telegraph Hill and along the waterfront, others established or became residents of opulent establishments around Portsmouth Square. Through sheer diligence and business acumen, many of these women amassed significant fortunes. One popular French courtesan is reputed to have banked an impressive $50,000 in clear profit during her inaugural year of professional activity in the New World. Remarkably, several even married prominent men, elevating their social standing and successfully burying their pasts.
Due to the critical shortage of “virtuous” women, prostitutes—especially those operating in the elegant bagnios near Portsmouth Square—played a surprisingly active role in the social life of early San Francisco. They were particularly sought after as partners at the elaborate fancy-dress and masquerade balls, which provided a primary form of diversion for the often lonely and high-spirited miners.
Gold Rush Gala: Balls, Bawdy Songs, and Brawls
These social functions, often held in large gambling houses with gaming tables temporarily moved aside, were notorious for their extraordinary scenes. An early historian observed, “the most extraordinary scenes were exhibited, as might have been expected when the actors and dancers were chiefly hot-headed young men, flush of money and half frantic with excitement, and lewd girls, freed from the necessity of all moral restraint.” Even amidst the festivities, gambling continued unabated in another part of the venue.
Public notices for these events, plastered on streets and in public houses, always bore a prominent warning in large letters: “NO WEAPONS ADMITTED.” At the entrance, several men were stationed to collect weapons. Each merry-maker was required to surrender his knife, revolver, or pistol in exchange for a check, for the duration of the festivities. Any protestation of being unarmed was met with disbelief and an immediate search, almost invariably revealing a concealed weapon. Music for dancing was provided by the regular gambling-house orchestra, but a popular highlight was a soloist performing the miners’ favorite song, to the tune of “O Susannah!” with verses like:
I came from Quakerdelphia,
With my washbowl on my knee;
I’m going to California,
The gold dust for to see.
It rained all night the day I left,
The weather it was dry;
The sun so hot I froze to death,
Oh, Anna, don’t you cry.
Oh, Ann Eliza!
Don’t you cry for me.
I’m going to California
With my washbowl on my knee.
I soon shall be in Frisco,
And then I’ll look around;
And when I see the gold lumps there
I’ll pick them off the ground.
I’ll scrape the mountains clean, old girl;
I’ll drain the rivers dry;
A pocketful of rocks bring back,
So, Anna, don’t you cry.
The Elite Underworld: Madams and Their Lavish Social Affairs
The mistresses of the grand harlotry establishments often hosted elaborate social affairs, inviting the town’s most influential men. These shrewd madams expertly blended pleasure with profit, using these gatherings to introduce new girls, showcase old favorites in fresh exhibitions, and charge exorbitant prices for the liquor served. Occasionally, however, these gatherings could be surprisingly respectable. The Annals of San Francisco provides a vivid account of one such soirée:
“See yonder house. Its curtains are of the purest white lace, embroidered with crimson damask. Go in. All the fixtures are of a keeping, most expensive, most voluptuous, most gorgeous. . . .It is a soirée night. The ‘lady‘ of the establishment has sent most polite invitations, got up on the finest and most beautifully embossed note paper, to all the principal gentlemen of the city, including the collector of the port, the mayor, the aldermen, the judges of the county, and members of the legislature. A splendid band of music is in attendance.”
“Away over the Turkey or Brussels carpet whirls the politician with some sparkling beauty, as fair as frail, and the judge joins in and enjoys the dance in company with the beautiful but lost beings, whom tomorrow, he may send to the house of correction. Everything is conducted with the utmost propriety. Not an unbecoming word is heard, not an objectionable action seen. The girls are on their good behavior and are proud once more to move, act, and appear as ladies.”
“Did you not know, you would not suspect that you were in one of those dreadful places so vividly described by Solomon… But the dance is over; now for the supper table. Everything within the bounds of the market and the skill of the cook and confectioner is before you. Opposite and by your side, that which neither cook nor confectioner’s skill has made what they are—cheeks where the ravages of dissipation have been skillfully hidden, and eyes with pristine brilliancy undimmed, or even heightened by the spirit of the recent champagne. And here the illusion fades. The champagne alone is paid for. The soirée has cost the mistress $1,000. At the supper and during the night, she sells twelve dozen bottles of champagne at ten dollars a bottle! No loafers present, but the male ton; vice hides itself for the occasion, and staid dignity bends from its position to twine a few flowers of social pleasure around the heads and hearts of these poor outcasts of society.”
Conclusion: The Enduring Legacy of the Barbary Coast’s Women
The Barbary Coast harlots and other women who migrated to Gold Rush San Francisco played a unique and undeniable role in the shaping of the city. Far from being merely marginalized figures, these women, despite their often desperate circumstances, carved out economic niches and even influenced the social fabric of a nascent society starved for female presence. From the crude shanties of Telegraph Hill to the lavish soirées near Portsmouth Square, their story is one of survival, entrepreneurship, and adaptation in a chaotic frontier. They provided not only companionship and pleasure but also contributed to the city’s burgeoning economy, making them an indispensable, albeit controversial, part of San Francisco’s rich and vibrant history. Their presence highlights the complex moral landscape of the Gold Rush era, where societal norms often bent under the weight of opportunity and the pursuit of fortune.
