From the time of the gold rush to the election of the first woman to the U.S. Congress, Wanton West brings to life the women of the West's wildest region: Montana, famous for its lawlessness, boomtowns, and America's largest red-light districts. Prostitutes and entrepreneurs--like Chicago Joe, Madame Mustache, and Highkicker-flocked to Montana to make their own money, gamble, drink, and raise hell just like men. Moralists wrote them off as "e;soiled doves,"e; yet a surprising number prospered, flaunting their freedom and banking ten times more than their "e;respectable"e; sisters. A lively read providing new insights into women's struggle for equality, Wanton West is a refreshingly objective exploration of a freewheeling society and a re-creation of an unforgettable era in history.