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Little Gertie the Gold Dollar was a feisty entertainer By Marshall Trimble
T
he boom towns of the Old West had a severe shortage of eligible women, and that void for the lusty young men was filled by what were euphemistically referred to as good-time girls, shady ladies, soiled doves and ladies of the evening. A woman who was on a socially higher level might call herself a courtesan. An alternative was provided on a census report that one referred to herself as a “ceiling expert,” while another claimed she was “horizontally employed.” This is the tragic love story of a shiftless, tin horn gambler named Billy Milgreen and two Tombstone entertainers, Little Gertie the Gold Dollar and Margarita. All three were denizens of Tombstone’s storied Allen Street. Nobody, except maybe Milgreen, knew Gold Dollar’s real name, and how she got it is a matter of conjecture. When the pretty little blonde first went to work as a dancer at the Crystal Palace, she called herself Little Gertie. One story has it the name Gold Dollar was added because someone said her long, golden tresses were the color of a shiny new gold dollar. Another said it was because the price of a short-term love affair with her was a gold dollar. Whatever the case, she became Little Gertie the Gold Dollar. In a town where Lizzette the Flying Nymph, Big Nose Kate and Crazy Horse Lil also resided, her handle wasn’t all that different from the others. Gold Dollar was friendly, had an easy smile and was one of the most popular shady ladies in Tombstone. She was also a feisty gal, as later events of the love triangle would reveal. All seemed well between Milgreen and Gold Dollar until Margarita, a tall, dark and willow lady, arrived in Tombstone. She took a job at the Bird Cage dancing and
turning tricks with the customers to supplement her income. One night she laid eyes on Shiftless Billy and decided to put the moves on Gold Dollar’s man. She figured she’d have no trouble having her way with Milgreen and physically she’d have no trouble handling the diminutive blonde if it came to fisticuffs. Gold Dollar couldn’t help herself. She had fallen madly in love with Milgreen. When she could spare a few moments at the Crystal Palace, she’d steal away to where he was gambling and give him a hug and a kiss. Meanwhile, Margarita was trying to get her hooks on Milgreen. She flirted shamelessly An artist’s rendering of Tombstone entertainer every time he stopped in at the Little Gertie the Gold Dollar. Bird Cage. But what Margarita didn’t know was Gold Dollar the venerable Bird Cage Theater. had friends who worked at the joint who A few months later Milgreen also left kept her informed about Margarita’s bold town. Some believe the two met in one of attempts to steal her man. the many other raucous boom towns. One evening, following a tip from one of This story is one that can’t be proven, but her friends, Gold Dollar stormed into the it can’t be dismissed as a tall tale either. The Bird Cage and caught Margarita sitting on story has certainly been written many times. Milgreen’s lap. She grabbed a handful of But then so has the Lost Dutchman’s Mine. Margarita’s long dark hair and threw her Nobody knows her real name, and most of to the floor. The fiery Latina came up with those shady ladies were careful to hide their fists flying. The Gold Dollar was no match identity. Some married and left the trade, for the larger woman, so she reached for a but many died of alcohol, drugs or disease stiletto stashed in her garter and stabbed and were buried in unmarked graves. Margarita in the heart. It would be next to impossible to find During the confusion that followed, Gold provenance after this many years. The Dollar slipped out the door and left town. history of prostitution in the towns was She was never seen. omitted when their early histories were A doctor was called to the Bird Cage, took written and was therefore covered up in the a look at Margarita lying on the floor in a shifting sands of time. pool of blood, declared there was nothing he Times do change, however, and today could do, and proceeded to belly up to the some of those notorious old bawdy houses bar for a shot of whiskey. have been turned into museums. Ladies Margarita was laid to rest in Boot Hill. from the local historical society give lectures There are many today who believe the ghosts on the lives and times of those long-ago of both Gold Dollar and Margarita inhabit filles de joie. NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM FEBRUARY 2022 | MARCH 2022
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