The convergence of business, politics, and sex-work may, at first blush, seem sensationalistic but this union is inextricably part of the European colonization of the Coast Salish people’s land into present day Seattle. From Seattle’s earliest days, “crib houses,” homes broken into small, sparsely furnished rooms used only for sex transactions; “parlor houses,” woman-owned brothels; and sex trafficking of both American and foreign-born women sought to not only slake the sexual desires of the men who were clear-cutting, milling, and farming the land but also create a kind of sexual “mouse trap” able to draw men to the nascent city in order to help it grow. Fueled over the years by gold, graft, tolerance, and tech bros, Seattle’s story is only truly understood with its pants off.
During Susan Robb’s
A Very Wicked City walking tour participants will inhabit some of the places and spaces that once made up Seattle’s libidinal landscape. Starting in Pioneer Square and weaving throughout downtown, sites will include former brothels, bathhouses, and gay burlesque halls. Robb will cover the influence of racism, the gold rush, women’s suffrage, graft, introduce a parade of powerful women, and connect Seattle’s current issues around sex work to those that began over 150 years ago.
Additional Details:
- The tour meets at 1:00 p.m. at the Pergola in Pioneer Square and ends around 3:00 p.m.
- Directions for Starting location: https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/seattle/s26.htm
- This is a walking tour with a total walking distance of about 1.5 miles. Please be ready to walk. Wear comfortable shoes and attire.
- We will walk rain or shine, so watch the weather and prepare accordingly.
Presented in Partnership with Atlas Obscura.
Requires additional ticket purchase.
