Episode 171 - Madam with a Heart: Durango, Colorado's Bessie Rivers

The Ordinary, Extraordinary Cemetery

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Love is in the air this week as Jennie and Dianne share the story of a woman who led, shall we say, an alternative life as madam Bessie Rivers, and despite her unconventional path, found love and respect among many in her community and her final resting place has not been forgotten in lovely Greenmount Cemetery in Durango, Colorado. Situated in the southwestern part of Colorado, Durango is surrounded by the rugged San Juan Mountains and boasts a well-preserved historic district with Victorian architecture, reflecting its mining and railroad past; a past whose Ordinary Extraordinary story would not be complete without the generosity, compassion, tenacity, and ingenuity of madam Bessie Rivers.
To view this episode on YouTube, click here: https://youtu.be/L8A3_OR-_SI?si=ljcXa52NKKceihUd
Resources used to research this episode include:
, City Of Durango. "Cemetery Records." https://www.durangoco.gov. www.durangoco.gov/518/Cemetery-Records. Accessed 11 Feb. 2024.
, Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. "The Route." https://www.durangotrain.com. www.durangotrain.com/ride-us/route/. Accessed 11 Feb. 2024.
Alexander , Kathy. "Painted Ladies of the Old West." https://www.legendsofamerica.com. 1 Dec. 2022. www.legendsofamerica.com/we-paintedlady/. Accessed 11 Feb. 2024.
MacKell Collins , Jan. "Brothels, Bordellos & Bad Girls: Prostitution in Colorado 1860-1930, Chapter Two: Life as a Harlot ." https://janmackellcollins.wordpress.com. 14 Nov. 2018. janmackellcollins.wordpress.com/2018/11/14/brothels-bordellos-bad-girls-prostitution-in-colorado-1860-1930-chapter-two-life-as-a-harlot/. Accessed 11 Feb. 2024.
Carter, Gary. "Heavy Freight Wagons of the American West ." https://westernmininghistory.com. westernmininghistory.com/4127/heavy-freight-wagons-of-the-american-west/. Accessed 11 Feb. 2024.
MacKell Collins, Jan. Good Time Girls of Colorado . 2019. Lanham, The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, 2019, pp. 122 - 130.

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1. Episode 171 - Madam with a Heart: Durango, Colorado's Bessie Rivers (00:00:00)

2. [Ad] History Shorts (00:19:05)

3. (Cont.) Episode 171 - Madam with a Heart: Durango, Colorado's Bessie Rivers (00:19:46)