Calendar of Events

"Sin on the Santa Fe Trail" focuses on the least discussed aspect of women who came west: those who saw dollar signs in the way of the gold in men's pockets and the means to a fresh start. From Natives who were taken captive by early explorers along the trail and sold into the sex trade, to Mexican and Spanish women who took advantage of the influx of newcomers from the trail, to Anglo women who saw a way to make money in the early west, Jan will explain how and when when these women began their trips to the west and how they survived.

Lecturer Biography
Jan MacKell Collins has been researching and writing about the wilder side of western women for several years. She is a WILLA Literary Award nominee, a former director of the Cripple Creek District Museum, and has been published in numerous regional magazines since 1996. Her book credits include Brothels, Bordellos & Bad Girls: Prostitution in Colorado 1860-1930 (University of New Mexico Press), Good Time Girls of Colorado: A Red-Light History of the Centennial State (Globe Pequot Publishing), Wicked Cripple Creek District and Wicked Old Colorado City: Colorado Springs' Wild Westside (The History Press), as well as other books about ladies of the evening in the wild west. Ms. Collins recently returned to her beloved home state of Colorado where she is working on her next book, Wicked Women of the Cripple Creek District while attending book signings and presenting programs on her favorite subject.