Julia Bulette
Encyclopedia
Julia Bulette was an English-born American prostitute and madam
in Virginia City
, Nevada
.
After her violent death, she has been described as proprietor of the most elegant and prosperous brothel in the City and various films and books took inspiration of her real or purported biography. She was said to be the first unmarried white woman to arrive in the mining
boomtown
following the Comstock Lode
silver
strike in 1859. Bulette was a popular figure with the miners, and the local firefighters made her an honorary member of Virginia Engine Company Number 1. She was murdered by John Millain, a French drifter and jewel thief in 1867.
ancestry, although some historians give her birthplace as Liverpool
or Mississippi
. At an early age she emigrated with her family to New Orleans, where she later married a man named Smith, from whom she separated. In about 1852 or 1853, she moved to California where she lived in various cities and towns until her arrival in 1859 in Virginia City, Nevada, a mining boomtown since the Comstock Lode silver strike that same year. As she was the only white woman in the area, she became greatly sought after by the miners. She quickly took up prostitution, charging $1000 a night for her services. Jule or Julia as she became known, was described as having been a beautiful, tall, and slim brunette with dark eyes. She was refined in manner with a humorous, witty personality.
design. She named it Julia's Palace, and it was the largest, and most prosperous brothel in Virginia City. She had staffed the brothel with beautiful girls imported from San Francisco, served French cuisine and wines, dressed herself and her girls in the latest Parisian fashions. She was also a good friend to the miners, who adored her. One described her as having "caressed Sun Mountain with a gentle touch of splendor". Julia stood by her miners in times of trouble and misfortune, once turning her Palace into a hospital after several hundred men became ill from drinking contaminated water. She nursed the men herself. Once when an attack by Indians appeared imminent, Julia chose to remain behind with the miners instead of seeking shelter in Carson City. Julia also raised funds for the Union
cause during the American Civil War
.
Julia appeared regularly in the streets of Virginia City, clad in costly sables and jewels, driving a lacquered brougham which bore a painted Escutcheon on the panel which was four aces crowned by a lion couchant.
Julia's greatest triumph occurred when the firefighters made her an honorary member of Virginia Engine Number 1. On 4 July 1861, the firemen elected her the Queen of the Independence Day Parade, and she rode Engine Company Number One's fire truck through the town wearing a fireman's hat and carrying a brass fire trumpet filled with fresh roses, the firemen marching behind.
She donated large sums for new equipment and often personally lent a hand at working the water pump.
Virginia City went into mourning for her, with the mines, mills and saloons being closed down as a mark of respect. On the day of her funeral, January 21, thousands formed a procession of honor behind her black-plumed, glass-walled hearse; first the firemen, who were followed by the Nevada militia who played funeral dirges. Julia was buried in the Flower Hill Cemetery.
A little over a year later, Julia's murderer was caught and hanged for the crime. He was a French drifter whose name was John Millain; and on April 24, 1868 he went to the gallows, swearing he was not guilty of having killed Julia, but had been only an accomplice in the theft of her jewels. Millain's hanging was witnessed by author Mark Twain
.
honored her memory by naming one of its richly furnished club coaches after her. Her portrait hung in many Virginia City saloons, and author Rex Beach
immortalized her as Cherry Malotte in his novel, The Spoilers. Oscar Lewis in his book Silver Kings reported that Julia Bulette was written about more than any other woman of the Comstock Lode.
Only about two authentic portraits exist of Julia; one is a photograph which shows her standing beside an Engine Number 1 fireman's hat. A third photograph, previously identified as Julia Bulette, was most likely that of her maid, who was also named Julia.
In October 1959, an episode of the television series Bonanza
titled "The Julia Bulette Story", featured the character of Julia, and showed Little Joe falling in love with her to the chagrin of his father. She was played by actress Jane Greer
.
Madam
Madam, or madame, is a polite title used for women which, in English, is the equivalent of Mrs. or Ms., and is often found abbreviated as "ma'am", and less frequently as "ma'm". It is derived from the French madame, which means "my lady", the feminine form of lord; the plural of ma dame in this...
in Virginia City
Virginia City
Virginia City is a city located in Storey County, Nevada.Virginia City may also refer to:* Virginia City, Montana* Virginia City, Nevada* Virginia City, Virginia* Virginia City , a 1940 film starring Errol Flynn...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
.
After her violent death, she has been described as proprietor of the most elegant and prosperous brothel in the City and various films and books took inspiration of her real or purported biography. She was said to be the first unmarried white woman to arrive in the mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
boomtown
Boomtown
A boomtown is a community that experiences sudden and rapid population and economic growth. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although the term can also be applied to communities growing very rapidly for different reasons,...
following the Comstock Lode
Comstock Lode
The Comstock Lode was the first major U.S. discovery of silver ore, located under what is now Virginia City, Nevada, on the eastern slope of Mount Davidson, a peak in the Virginia Range. After the discovery was made public in 1859, prospectors rushed to the area and scrambled to stake their claims...
silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
strike in 1859. Bulette was a popular figure with the miners, and the local firefighters made her an honorary member of Virginia Engine Company Number 1. She was murdered by John Millain, a French drifter and jewel thief in 1867.
Origins
Julia, whose real name was Jule, was born in 1832 in London, England of FrenchFrench people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
ancestry, although some historians give her birthplace as Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
or Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. At an early age she emigrated with her family to New Orleans, where she later married a man named Smith, from whom she separated. In about 1852 or 1853, she moved to California where she lived in various cities and towns until her arrival in 1859 in Virginia City, Nevada, a mining boomtown since the Comstock Lode silver strike that same year. As she was the only white woman in the area, she became greatly sought after by the miners. She quickly took up prostitution, charging $1000 a night for her services. Jule or Julia as she became known, was described as having been a beautiful, tall, and slim brunette with dark eyes. She was refined in manner with a humorous, witty personality.
Julia's Palace
With her earnings, Julia was able to build a magnificent brothel in the rococoRococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
design. She named it Julia's Palace, and it was the largest, and most prosperous brothel in Virginia City. She had staffed the brothel with beautiful girls imported from San Francisco, served French cuisine and wines, dressed herself and her girls in the latest Parisian fashions. She was also a good friend to the miners, who adored her. One described her as having "caressed Sun Mountain with a gentle touch of splendor". Julia stood by her miners in times of trouble and misfortune, once turning her Palace into a hospital after several hundred men became ill from drinking contaminated water. She nursed the men herself. Once when an attack by Indians appeared imminent, Julia chose to remain behind with the miners instead of seeking shelter in Carson City. Julia also raised funds for the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
cause during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Julia appeared regularly in the streets of Virginia City, clad in costly sables and jewels, driving a lacquered brougham which bore a painted Escutcheon on the panel which was four aces crowned by a lion couchant.
Julia's greatest triumph occurred when the firefighters made her an honorary member of Virginia Engine Number 1. On 4 July 1861, the firemen elected her the Queen of the Independence Day Parade, and she rode Engine Company Number One's fire truck through the town wearing a fireman's hat and carrying a brass fire trumpet filled with fresh roses, the firemen marching behind.
She donated large sums for new equipment and often personally lent a hand at working the water pump.
Murder
On the morning of January 20, 1867, Julia's partially nude body was found by her maid in her bedroom. She had been strangled and bludgeoned to death, and robbed of her valuable jewel collection, clothing, and furs.Virginia City went into mourning for her, with the mines, mills and saloons being closed down as a mark of respect. On the day of her funeral, January 21, thousands formed a procession of honor behind her black-plumed, glass-walled hearse; first the firemen, who were followed by the Nevada militia who played funeral dirges. Julia was buried in the Flower Hill Cemetery.
A little over a year later, Julia's murderer was caught and hanged for the crime. He was a French drifter whose name was John Millain; and on April 24, 1868 he went to the gallows, swearing he was not guilty of having killed Julia, but had been only an accomplice in the theft of her jewels. Millain's hanging was witnessed by author Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
.
Legacy
Julia's legend continued after her death. The Virginia and Truckee RailroadVirginia and Truckee Railroad
The Virginia and Truckee Railroad was built to serve the Comstock Lode mining communities of northwestern Nevada. At its height, the railroad's route ran from Reno south to Carson City, Nevada. In Carson City, the...
honored her memory by naming one of its richly furnished club coaches after her. Her portrait hung in many Virginia City saloons, and author Rex Beach
Rex Beach
Rex Ellingwood Beach was an American novelist, playwright, and Olympic water polo player.- Biography :...
immortalized her as Cherry Malotte in his novel, The Spoilers. Oscar Lewis in his book Silver Kings reported that Julia Bulette was written about more than any other woman of the Comstock Lode.
Only about two authentic portraits exist of Julia; one is a photograph which shows her standing beside an Engine Number 1 fireman's hat. A third photograph, previously identified as Julia Bulette, was most likely that of her maid, who was also named Julia.
In October 1959, an episode of the television series Bonanza
Bonanza
Bonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the...
titled "The Julia Bulette Story", featured the character of Julia, and showed Little Joe falling in love with her to the chagrin of his father. She was played by actress Jane Greer
Jane Greer
Jane Greer was a film and television actress who was perhaps best known for her role as femme fatale Kathie Moffat in the 1947 film noir Out of the Past.-Career:...
.