Madam millie biography

Women of the West

The women who settled the west were formidable by necessity. Survival required that trait. Whereas many women migrated west with their families, others traveled alone, often fleeing hardship, abuse, or scandal. Some, like their male counterparts, were seeking fortune in the boom-towns of the American West. However, there weren’t many lucrative financial opportunities for independent women at the time. Women without husbands, or male relatives, were often forced into sex work to survive financially.

Though there were many notorious madams in New Mexico in the 1800s and early decades of the 1900s, there are some who exemplify the dichotomy of saint and sinner, investing their fortunes, and hopes for the future, into their communities. Mildred Cusey, aka Madam Millie, was the most prominent madam in Silver City from the turn of the century to the modern era.

Madam Millie (1906 –1993)

Willette Angela Fantetti, aka Mildred Cusey, aka Madam Millie was born Madam millie biography book.