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Butte, Montana: Historic Dumas Brothel Museum

This bawdy house was in business until 1982, qualifying it as America's longest-lived house of prostitution.

Address:
45 E. Mercury St., Butte, MT
Directions:
North side of town. I-90 exit 126, then north on Montana St. for 1.5 miles. Turn right onto Mercury St. for three blocks. Between Main and Wyoming Sts.
RA Rates:
Worth a Detour
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Visitor Tips and News About Historic Dumas Brothel Museum

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Historic Dumas Brothel Museum

It appears that this attraction is closed. I called after arriving in Butte. The message says that they are closed for the winter but will be reopening for the 2018 season and we should check out their Facebook page. It is currently August 2021. The Facebook page has a post indicating that there was a death and they were having some trouble raising funds to stay open.

[Daniel Kaplan, 08/20/2021]

We hope the building survives and can be eventually revived as a unique attraction in Butte (or for that matter, anywhere).

Historic Dumas Brothel Museum

Called a few days ahead. Showed up at 10:00 when they opened,.. Sign out front listed their hours with a note underneath saying "renovations permitting." Called inside and heard phone ringing with nobody there to answer it. Went about our day and tried calling a few hours later. No answer again. Never saw it.

[Emily, 05/29/2015]

Dumas brothel.

Site of Evel Knievel's First Stunt

The Dumas Brothel Museum in Butte's former Red Light District was the site of Evel's first stunt according to owner Rudy Giecek. It seems that Evel, one evening after having too much to drink, fell over the second floor balcony, landing on the floor below. He got up quickly, dusted himself off and continued to party. The rest, as they say, is history!

The museum is now open daily, after having been closed for the past two years. Entry is by an admission fee of $8 and includes a tour of the building, where you will see a customized refrigerator in which a French lady took refuge, eluding police raids, and a room discovered a few years ago that has been sealed since 1943.

It's a perfect time capsule of a "crib" used by the ladies at the time in Venus Alley.

[Phil Pasquini, 08/01/2010]
Dumas Brothel Tour

The Dumas Brothel is the last remaining building of a two-block red-light district area that housed prostitutes who comforted the miners beginning just before the turn of the century (1890s). It continued to operate as such until 1982.

[Roger, 07/04/2010]

The Brothel Museum, closed for a period, is reportedly offering tours by the owner, though no hours are posted.

Brothel Museum: Too Dangerous For Tourists?

The Dumas Brothel Museum in Butte, Montana -- a brothel from 1890 until 1982 and a tourist attraction from 1989 until last year -- has perhaps closed its doors for good. Owner Rudy Giecek has offered several explanations for the shuttering of this attraction: his health is poor (he's suffered three strokes), he has no money to pay his taxes and liens, he's afraid that the back wall of the building will collapse....

[05/08/2005] Complete News Story


Nearby Offbeat Places

Piccadilly Museum - Relics of TransportationPiccadilly Museum - Relics of Transportation, Butte, MT - < 1 mi.
Lake of Death: Berkeley Pit OverlookLake of Death: Berkeley Pit Overlook, Butte, MT - < 1 mi.
Statue of Auditor, the Strip Mine DogStatue of Auditor, the Strip Mine Dog, Butte, MT - 1 mi.
In the region:
Old Prison Museum, Deer Lodge, MT - 28 mi.

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