MADAME LOUISA

Call me strange, but I have always had a soft spot for the ole Madame's and prostitutes...Stormey Daniels, the Mayflower Madame, Madame de Pompadour, Heidi Fleiss and one Madame Lousia Bunch.  Hell, I even did Mona Stangley once in drag to Hard Candied Christmas for the Raven's closing show. It's on the blog somewhere. They always seem to be so full of life and down to earth people, easy to talk too. I don't know why society has always feared them. I read a story in a book about Louisa Bunch and she sounded like a swell lady. She was born in February of 1857, and became to date, Denver's most famous Madame, where she learned the tricks of the trade from Mattie Silks, the outgoing Madame. Around the turn of the 19th century when the gold rush was fast and heavy through the mountain community of Colorado, Pine Street was home of the city's red-light district. It's reported the lovely 300lb Madame ran the most successful brothel in the states, housing ladies of the evening, thought she said they were housekeepers, you know, like I and my "houseboys." She was also one of it's richest.  But she was also very kind, and more than just a Madame- she risked her own life to save townspeople during a huge tuberculosis outbreak. She converted more than half of her lovely mansion to a hospital and offered crucial medical and financial care to people far from getting any help. She also gave and donated tons of money to the city on many occasions to help the economy in tough times, to get back on track, and always helped back new business owners, to help the city prosper. She was also invited into other reputable homes, where she was always the life of the party.

Madame Louisa passed away in January of 1935 and was buried at Denver's Fairmont Cemetery, sharing the multiple plots she had for herself and her numerous "girls."  After her death and even up to current times, the city of Denver never forgot. Every June, they still host racing antique beds on wheels down the Main Street, followed by the annal Lousia Bunch Brunch... and will do it once again this June to pay homage to her...more than a century later. I found her story to be very heartwarming.

This one is for Madame Lousia.