Boise has a bleak History of Brothel districts that resided from the north-end side of Boise and stretched into current downtown areas like 6th and Main St. as well as Grove St., continuing west into Garden City. During Boise's founding years of 1863 it was a prime location where soldiers of the Fort, fur-traders, miners and trail-bound pioneers passing through would be able to stop into bordellos with the guise of "saloons" and "boarding-houses". One of the most notable red-light districts in the city was known as "Levy's Alley," named after Davis Levy who purchased property that resides as today's downtown 6th and Main St. location. Levy found himself a well - suited location with a unique value, located next to the military Fort, as long as it could be hosted with the right "tenants." From then on his doors remained open for business and with minor interference from City ordinance until he had been "charged by the City of Boise with allowing a house of ill repute to operate in his buildings." He was found guilty and fined 44 dollars.
Courtesy of the Library of Congress
These locations around the Boise area were hot spots where "soiled doves" would flock , to reside in the matter of what would be today aberrant social intentions. By about 1909, The Idaho Statesman put more exposure on the subject when the City's Chief of Police, as well as other prominent members of society , were involved in scandalous connections with rackets and local madams, referring to it as "a necessary evil." Though it didn't seem to go away easily throughout the early 1900's, Boise Idaho's younger cultural habits carry interesting and provocative insights into the experiences lived within its current historical locations.
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</div> <div> Courtesy of the Library of Congress</div> <div> Resources:</div> <div> Books</div> <div> Outlaw Tales of Idaho ,Randy Stapilus, Copyright 2008</div> <div> Internet</div> <div> http://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/the-girls-of-boise/Content?oid=927388</div> <div> http://www.legendsofamerica.com/id-davidupdyke.html</div> <div> http://infoweb.newsbank.com.libproxy.boisestate.edu/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=NewsBank&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=0F661D050F0A25C8&p_docnum=48&p_queryname=1</div> <div> http://infoweb.newsbank.com.libproxy.boisestate.edu/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=NewsBank&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=0FE4FC0622D845A5&p_docnum=40&p_queryname=1</div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div>
