Dizarranged is back with day 2 of 31, exploring haunted places across the globe you can travel to. In case you missed one, check out the full section here.
Location: Butte, Montana
Place: The Dumas Brothel
The Dumas Brothel History
The planet Earth is so much younger compared to PSR B1620-26 b. So much out there, and yet, here I am, half human, part of my, what you earthlings call, job. This mostly blue sphere is full of mystery. Today’s exploration leaves Sweden and enters the United States, landing in the golden age of the West: Butte, Montana.
By the late 19th century, Butte had become one of the largest and wealthiest mining towns in the American West. Known as the “Richest Hill on Earth,” it was bigger than the hub of Atlanta International Airport is today, drawing thousands of miners who worked endless hours underground. Success brought vice; gambling halls, saloons, and brothels flourished, making Butte the place for both wealth and pleasure. At its peak, it was the largest city west of the Mississippi between Chicago and San Francisco. Its red-light district, Venus Alley, became infamous, also known by less flattering names like “whore alley,” “peasant alley,” and “piss alley.”
In 1888, French-Canadian brothers Joseph and Arthur Nadeau saw an opportunity. They built an elegant brick hotel on East Mercury Street, aiming to attract not only miners but also the city’s elite. Joseph named it after his wife, Delia Dumas, who was listed as the madam of the Dumas Hotel. Beneath the polished exterior, it was a brothel, one that would outlast nearly every other in the country.
When the Dumas opened in 1890, it impressed guests with its skylights, spiral staircase, and two-story design. Underground tunnels connected it to other businesses, offering discretion for powerful men, city officials, lawyers, clergy, and married men who wanted to avoid the law’s punishment for adultery. Over time, the brothel built a strict class system: wealthy patrons upstairs, working-class miners in the cheaper basement cribs.
Despite reformers and preachers railing against it, the Dumas thrived, paying off police and politicians to stay open. Madams like Grace McGinnis, Rose Davis, and finally Ruby Garrett kept it alive through Prohibition, World War II, and beyond. Even after Butte’s official red-light district closed in 1917, the Dumas carried on.
The end finally came in 1982, when Ruby Garrett was convicted of tax evasion. That closed the doors on the Dumas Brothel after 92 years, making it the longest continuously running brothel in U.S. history.
Today, the building at 45 E. Mercury Street remains a symbol of Butte’s past, surrounded by the ghosts of its haunted past.
Reported Activity
Visit the Dumas Brothel during the day, and you might not notice much. The spirits seem quieter, almost as if recharging after a long night of spectral mischief. But when the sun dips, oh yes, the activity stirs. A walk through the rooms, and suddenly your human skin may grow goose bumps, you’ll feel something standing near, left unseen. The unease amplifies in the basement and boiler area, where darker rumors linger, whispers of unwanted pregnancies and lives snuffed out far too soon.
The basement itself, once crawling with the cheapest cribs, still holds a suffocating heaviness. Suicides, unexplained deaths, and violent nights scarred these walls. That energy clings, a residue you wouldn’t want to beam back to your home planet, or even drag back when visiting a parental figure special to you.
Madam Elinor Knott is said to visit still, or believes she’s at home. In 1955, her suitcase was packed for escape, but instead, she was found dead. Natural causes? Suicide? Murder? You earthlings love to create conspiracies when the truth is hidden, and we may never know! Witnesses swear they’ve seen her, suitcase in hand, gliding past the stairwell before disappearing into a portal? New dimension? Somehow, dissolving from the scene of the human-based three-dimensional existence.
Others report even closer encounters: footsteps that don’t belong, breathing on the neck, whispers curling around the ear, unseen fingers tugging hair, even playful pinches to the human flesh. One visitor felt a cold hand twist a lock of hair.
The things you earthlings do, dead or alive. Wicked. In the infinite sea of “paranormal investigator” videos across your human YouTube, where 99% is recycled theatrics and monetized shrieks of “This is the most terrifying place ever!,” there exists one clip that actually affected my alien-waves. A ghost, or sound from it was potentially caught on camera. You can view it here.
How to Visit
Dare to explore The Dumas Brothel for yourself? Go to the website and find out.
Nearby Haunted Sightseeings
Butte, Montana, has a lot of paranormal activity happening, and I’m liking it. Feels like home, though, way too many visitors of expired humans, not aliens. If the Dumas Brothel isn’t enough, and you want a full day to explore this unique city filled with rich history, here are some other places to creep through:
Old St. James Hospital:
Patients who never checked out lurk around. Ghost Hunting from 8:00 PM to 2:00 AM. Options available here.
Miner’s Hotel:
22 spirits supposedly wander the halls. Paranormal Investigation opportunities available here.
Clark Chateau:
The kind of mansion where whispers travel faster than a 3I/ATLAS. Tours available here.
Copper King Mansion:
Luxury with ghosts. Tours are available but need advanced notice during Montana’s winter season. Information available here.
Cabbage Patch:
A shantytown long gone, but the spirits didn’t exactly leave with the demolition crew. More information available here.
Montana is huge and filled with haunted places, crumbling ghost towns, and the Old Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge will bring shivers down your human spines. It’s worth a road trip or even a full-on haunted expedition of your choosing… if you dare.
Nearby Accomodations
Dizarranged can further explore instances of Demonic Possession and book hauntings. Follow-us for more and check out Metal Insider’s 31 Haunted Venues for more paranormal fun.