The Jefferson Exchange
How fines from Eureka’s red-light district helped pay city bills
Description
The mugshot of Janice Murray is part of a historic collection of images, data and artifacts from the early 20th century when Eureka, California benefited annually from significant amounts of funds it extracted from the city's "Red Light District." Sex workers helped subsidize police salaries and build the town's infrastructure. Today, efforts are underway to build a public monument memorializing the contributions of these unknown women whose sex work supported the development of Eureka during the early 20th century. [https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/058a004/2147483647/strip/false/crop/1130x803+0+0/resize/743x528!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8e%2Fed%2F0cc33edf4e5d998ece85b6dbb235%2Feureka-red-light-district-janice-murray-mug-shot.png]The mugshot of Janice Murray is part of a historic collection of images, data and artifacts from the early 20th century when Eureka, California benefited annually from significant amounts of funds it extracted from the city's "Red Light District." Sex workers helped subsidize police salaries and build the town's infrastructure. Today, efforts are underway to build a public monument memorializing the contributions of these unknown women whose sex work supported the development of Eureka during the early 20th century. (Eureka Police Department Mug Books / Humboldt County Historical Society ) More than a century ago, women in Eureka’s red-light district were quietly helping fund the city itself. Now a historian and the mayor want their role in the city’s history publicly recognized. In 1903, the city of Eureka, California [https://www.eurekaca.gov/], had only $1,156 in cash on hand. That same year, workers in the local red-light district contributed $840 to the city treasury — nearly matching the city’s entire reserves. Historian Lynette Mullen said the payments were part of a system that operated in Eureka during the early 1900s. Police would warn brothel operators about upcoming arrests. The women would then plead guilty and forfeit their bail, sending the money into city accounts. Between 1900 and 1914, sex workers in the district contributed nearly $14,000 to the city’s general fund — the equivalent of about $500,000 today. City officials used the money to pay bills, fund police salaries and pave streets. By 1909, Mullen said, the volume of fines was so large that the money sometimes overflowed the tables where it was counted. At the time, state law prohibited prostitution, but Eureka maintained a designated district where the industry operated. Despite their role in the city’s finances, the workers themselves were largely absent from official records. Mullen said that omission overlooks their agency. The proposed monument is being supported by the Ink People Center for the Arts [https://www.inkpeople.org/dreammaker-data/monument-to-eurekas-red-light-women]. Mullen said she was working with Eureka Mayor Kim Bergel to establish a physical monument recognizing the women and their contributions to the city. GUEST * Lynette Mullen, historian
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