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Mother Featherlegs, The Murdered Wild West Prostitute, & Only Sex Worker With A Monument In U.S. History
A well known prositute was killed in a small Wyoming town, but has remained long remembered in the 150 years since
Sex workers are commonly maligned in American society despite their vocation often being referred to as the “world’s oldest profession.” Nevertheless, they have long operated on the fringes of society, and considered taboo despite the vast quantity of customers . That’s what makes the story of Mother Featherlegs all the more unique. A 19th century prostitute who was murdered in Wyoming, her life and death became so notorious that a monument was erected in her honor — making her the only known sex worker with such a distinction in the history of the United States.
Born Charlotte Shepard in an unknown year in the 19th century, very little is known about the life of the woman who ended up becoming much better known as Mother Featherlegs.
She and a companion, who was known as “Dangerous” Dick Davis, moved to the Lusk, Wyoming area in 1876 and opened a brothel. Davis claimed to be a trapper, but was rarely seen doing anything but hanging out at his business, which supplied girls, gambling and booze to locals and those traveling through…
