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ELEANOR DUMONT (1829 – 1879) MARY FIELDS

“Madame Eleanor Dumont” changed, dictated by the flow (1832 – 1914)
arrived in Nevada City, California of gold.
in about 1850, she was a well- Dumont added prostitution to
known gambler and prostitute her repertoire during the 1860s
living in the American West when she became the madam of
during the great California Gold a brothel. She kept brothels in
Rush. Later in life, she was many of the cities she visited as
also known by her nickname a gambler. To promote her
Madame Moustache due to the business, she paraded her
appearance of a line of dark hair employees around town in
on her upper lip. carriages, showing off their
Excited by the opportunity to beauty in broad daylight, much
reinvent herself on the untamed to the dislike of non-prostitute
frontier, Eleanor claimed to be women.
French when she first arrived In 1877, a Deadwood
in California in 1850. She was reporter would say of her: “A
actually of French-Creole descent with family character who attracts the attention of all
roots in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. strangers is ‘Mme. Mustache,’ a plump little
Madame Moustache soon became an French lady, perhaps forty years of age, but
accomplished card dealer and was skilled at splendidly preserved. She derives her name,
winning the hard-earned cash of men. Wasting no which is the only one she is known by, from a
time, Eleanor opened a gambling hall called dainty strip of black hair upon her upper lip. She Mary Fields was a pioneer of the Old West
“Vingt-et-un” (“21”) on Broad Street in Nevada deals her own game and is quite popular with the as the first female African-American Star Route
City, California. The classy establishment was a boys, who treat her with marked respect.” mail carrier. Born in Tennessee, she is also
huge success and attracted customers from up Upon losing a bet with a higher loss than she known as “Black Mary” or “Stagecoach Mary.”
and down the country. Madame Moustache was could afford, Madame Moustache was found At the age of sixty, Mary Fields applied to
not only a remarkable gambler but also a talented dead of suspected suicide by morphine overdose work for the US Postal Service. She impressed
businesswoman. She was able to sell and rebuild as reported by The Bodie Morning News on the recruiter by being the fastest to hitch up her
six-horse team and was hired.
gambling establishments as the local economies September 9, 1879.
Not long after starting work, Mary gained a
reputation for being hard-working and reliable.
e————————————f In eight years, she did not miss a single day’s
delivery. There were even occasions when she
ROSE DUNN (1878 – 1955) carried the mail on her back in poor weather to
maintain her route.
e————————————f Mary even tried her luck at restaurant owner-
A true role model for empowered women,
Rose Dunn, known as “The Rose of Cimarron,” ship. Unfortunately, she went bankrupt within
was a famous outlaw who learned to rope, ride, and a year as she would serve anyone food whether
shoot thanks to her two older brothers. They also they could pay for the meal or not. Mary also
inadvertently introduced their formally educated became one of the only women permitted in
sister into a life of crime. Montana saloons thanks to a special boon
As the years went by, Rose’s older brothers turned granted by the Mayor of Cascade.
to bounty hunting. Meanwhile, Rose became
romantically involved with and a loyal accomplice of Katherine Harony
George Newcomb’s Wild Bunch gang when she was
just 14 or 15 years of age, and regularly ran errands
for the group. “Big Nose Kate”
In September of 1893, the gang was cornered by
a posse of U.S. Marshals. It is said that after (1849 – 1940)
Newcomb was shot in the street,
Rose ran to the rescue with The tale of the Gunfight
ammunition and a Winchester at the O.K. Corral would not
rifle in hand. Thanks to her cover be complete without Doc
fire, both Rose and Newcomb Holliday and his common-
managed to escape. law wife, Katherine Harony.
The bloody battle wounded three members of the gang and killed three deputy “Big Nose Kate,” as she
marshals. As a result, Rose remained in a hideout with Newcomb for two months, was known, was a prostitute
who also had a $5,000 bounty on his head, dead or alive. On May 2, 1895, the by choice. In her words,
Dunn Brothers shot and killed both Newcomb and an accomplice as they she didn’t want to belong to
dismounted in front of the Dunn house to visit Rose. Her brothers collected the one man or one house.
bounty, believed to have been $5,000 each. Paradoxically, she later became
After the killing of Newcomb, Dunn was often accused of having set him up, the long-time partner of the
revealing to her brothers where the outlaws were hiding. She denied this, and her legendary gunslinger and
brothers later defended her, stating that she had no knowledge of their intentions, gambler Doc Holliday. She is
nor did she reveal the hideout to them. the only woman with whom
Dunn was never prosecuted for her involvement with the gang. Her short Holliday is known to have had
outlaw life launched her to the level of Western legend. a relationship.

32 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles