Al Swearengen
Al Swearengen arrived in Deadwood in the spring of 1876, intent not on mining gold but on taking money from the miners. His first venture was a tent theater and brothel, which he called the Cricket. At the Cricket Swearengen hosted prize fights for the entertainment of his patrons, though the winner of the fight received no prize. Often they were forced to fight by Swearengen to pay off gambling debts and bar tabs. Calamity Jane worked for Swearengen beginning shortly after her arrival in Deadwood in July of 1876, as a dancer and as a recruiter of young women to work in the brothel which Swearengen operated out of his saloon.
Calamity Jane recruited women in Nebraska and Wyoming for her boss, who paid her in liquor and hard money. It was Swearengen’s habit to pay for the young women’s transportation to Deadwood, where they were led to believe they would be working as waitresses, dancers, and other occupations. Once in Deadwood with little or no money nor place to stay, Swearengen forced them into prostitution. With few other options, most of the women were forced to comply. Swearengen paid them just enough to allow them to live, and kept them until they could no longer meet their quotas, when they were unceremoniously fired.