Venue Information

The Dumas Brothel at 45 E. Mercury St. in Butte, is the longest running active brothel in U.S. history. It was open from 1890 until 1982. It had several different owners, and several different madams. Multiple changes were made to the structure over the duration of its life. New doors added at times. Other times doors and windows were sealed. In its early days women used to hang out of windows in varying states of dress, or undress in efforts to entice customers. As time progressed, that practice was stopped. Heavy doors were added with sliding portals so the doormen could to see who wanted in. Rumors exist to this day about tunnels which ran from the Butte mines directly to the brothels. And tunnels from brothel to brothel. And possibly even a tunnel which ran from the courthouse to the Dumas. Those tunnels have long since been sealed although we think we have started to discover parts of them where they come into the basement.