Haunted places guide · Butte, Montana

The Dumas Brothel, Butte: History, Ghosts and Tours

For 92 years the Dumas served Butte’s miners from the mouth of Venus Alley, and its owners say the ladies never quite left. Here is the brothel’s real history, its ghost stories and how to visit.

By The Haunted Rooms Team · Updated November 2026 · How we rate places

4.2/5Haunted Rooms Score
1890Opened
1982Closed

Our nearest ghost hunt: Old St. James Hospital, MTMeet the ghosts

The Dumas Brothel stands almost alone on East Mercury Street in Uptown Butte, the last survivor of a red-light district that once filled several blocks. Its two-story brick front hides 43 rooms, from the cramped cribs where working miners were served to the better-furnished second floor where the madam held court. It is a contributing building in the Butte-Anaconda National Historic Landmark District.

It is also one of Montana’s most famous haunted buildings, the subject of more than a dozen paranormal programs and films. Its owners, Charlee and David Prince, run seasonal tours and private overnight ghost hunts, and they are frank about what they have and have not experienced. This guide sets the history and the stories side by side.

Dumas Brothel at a glance

4.2/5
Haunted Rooms Score
Haunted reputation4
History4
Ghost hunter access5
Visit on a tourGhost toursParanormal investigations allowedOvernight investigations
  • Address 45 East Mercury Street, Butte, MT 59701
  • Opened 1890, by Joseph and Arthur Nadeau
  • Closed 1982
  • Most haunted spots The madam’s quarters, the second floor and the stairs
  • Best-known ghost Madam Elinore Knott, who died in 1955, said to carry a suitcase
  • Good to know Tours every other weekend from Memorial Day to Labor Day; private overnight events

Our nearest ghost hunt: Old St. James Hospital, MT Visit / tours

History of the Dumas Brothel

Butte in 1890 was a booming copper city full of single men working shifts underground, and its red-light district grew to match. That year two French-Canadian brothers, Joseph and Arthur Nadeau, opened a brothel on Mercury Street. They named it the Dumas after Joseph’s wife, Delia, born Delia Dumas, who was its nominal owner; the brothers themselves were never Dumases.

The Dumas sat at the entrance to Venus Alley, the back alley that gave access to several brothels. Prostitution was outlawed in Butte the same year the Dumas opened, but the trade was tolerated, and the house kept working openly through Prohibition, the Depression and the decline of the Anaconda Company. Cowboy State Daily notes it once advertised a lunch-hour special for miners. Several brothels in other states claim the title, but the Dumas is often called the longest-running brothel in the country.

Its last madam, Ruby Garrett, was convicted of federal tax evasion and served six months, and after a robbery the Dumas closed in 1982. Antiques dealer Rudy Giecek bought it on condition it be preserved and ran it as a museum into the 2000s; he closed it in 2005 after money troubles and a burglary. Locals Michael Piche and Travis Eskelsen bought the battered building in 2012 and ran tours, and after Piche died in 2018 it went up for sale.

In December 2018 Charlee and David Prince of Forsyth, Montana, more than 300 miles away, bought it at a tax sale. Charlee had come to Butte for surgery and heard from their hotel’s owner that the building was behind on its taxes. The previous owners had been hoarders; among what the Princes found was a handwritten manuscript for a novel, Venus Alley, based on a former worker’s diary. They are restoring the building and drive to Butte every other weekend in season to run tours.

The ghosts of the Dumas Brothel

Elinore Knott and the suitcase

The best-known ghost is Elinore Knott, a madam found dead in the madam’s quarters in 1955. The story recorded at the time is that she died from alcohol and sleeping pills; some believe she was murdered, and regional tourism describes her as heartbroken and calls her death a suicide. Her figure is said to walk from the madam’s quarters toward the stairs carrying a suitcase, as if finally leaving. Former owner Rudy Giecek was among the first to say she haunts the building.

A woman on the stairs

Southwest Montana’s tourism office says visitors, both before and after the brothel closed, reported the apparition of a woman coming down the stairs. KMBR, the Butte radio station, adds that the second floor, where the madam held court, has the most reported sightings.

The ladies who answer back

The Princes greet the ‘ladies’ when they unlock the door. They told Cowboy State Daily in 2025 that about four times a woman’s voice has greeted them back. Visitors describe feeling uneasy or ill, having their hair patted or being pinched, and author Betsy Gaines Quammen, researching a book on ghost stories, said a finger curled around a lock of her hair while she stood alone in a hallway.

The cribs

Downstairs, the small cribs where working-class customers were served carry legends of violence, including murder. Visitors say the long hallway feels off as soon as they walk in. We found no record of a murder in the cribs; treat that part as legend.

Where to look

  • The madam's quarters: where Elinore Knott was found in 1955 and where her walk toward the stairs begins.
  • The second floor: the better rooms, and the floor with the most reported sightings.
  • The stairs: where a woman has been seen coming down.
  • The downstairs cribs: the cramped rooms off the long hallway, tied to legends of violence.

Visiting the Dumas Brothel

The Dumas is at 45 East Mercury Street in Uptown Butte, a short walk from the Copper King Mansion and the Old St. James Hospital. Guided tours last about an hour and 15 minutes and run from Memorial Day to Labor Day, sometimes into October if the weather holds. Because the owners travel from Forsyth, tours run every other weekend; check dumasbrothel.com for dates before you go.

The Princes also host private events where guests stay overnight and run their own ghost hunts, and the Butte Chamber of Commerce has promoted haunted tours of the building in October. The building is under restoration, so wear sturdy shoes and expect uneven floors.

Pair a visit with Butte’s other haunts: the Spooks and Spirits tours through the old red-light district and the Cabbage Patch, or a Haunted Rooms ghost hunt at the Old St. James Hospital.

  • Visiting Seasonal tours; private overnight ghost hunts can be arranged
  • Tours Guided tours of about 75 minutes, every other weekend from Memorial Day to Labor Day
  • Ghost hunting Private overnight events with the owners

Tips for your visit

  • Check the tour calendar online before you travel; dates are every other weekend.
  • Ask to see the madam’s quarters and the stairs where the suitcase story plays out.
  • Greet the ladies when you walk in, as the owners do.
  • Look for the back entrance to Venus Alley.
  • Book a private overnight event if you want time to investigate on your own.
  • Combine it with a night at the Copper King Mansion or the Miner’s Hotel.

Go ghost hunting nearby

Visiting a haunted place by day is one thing. Investigating one after dark is another. On a Haunted Rooms ghost hunt our team takes you through a historic building with professional ghost hunting equipment, runs EVP sessions and vigils, and gives you time to explore on your own. These are the nearest ones we run.

See all Montana ghost hunts

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Frequently asked questions

Is the Dumas Brothel haunted?

It is one of Montana’s best-known haunted buildings. Visitors report a woman on the stairs, hair being patted and pinches, and the owners say a woman’s voice has answered their greeting. Its most famous ghost is madam Elinore Knott, who died there in 1955.

Who haunts the Dumas Brothel?

Mainly Elinore Knott, a madam found dead in the madam’s quarters in 1955, said to walk toward the stairs carrying a suitcase. Other unnamed women are reported too.

Can you tour the Dumas Brothel?

Yes. Guided tours of about 75 minutes run every other weekend from Memorial Day to Labor Day, sometimes into October. Check dumasbrothel.com for dates.

Can you stay overnight at the Dumas Brothel?

The owners host private events where guests stay overnight and run their own ghost hunts. Contact them through their website.

How long was the Dumas Brothel open?

From 1890 to 1982, about 92 years, long after prostitution was outlawed in Butte.

Why is it called the Dumas?

The founders were brothers Joseph and Arthur Nadeau; they named it for Joseph’s wife Delia, whose maiden name was Dumas.

Sources

Facts on this page are checked against the official website, historic records and news coverage. Ghost stories are reported as staff, visitors and investigators tell them, and we say where records contradict a story.

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About the authors

The Haunted Rooms Team runs public ghost hunts and overnight investigations at historic venues across the United States. We research every place in our guides using official sites, historic registers, local archives and news coverage, and we report ghost stories as the stories they are. We review each guide regularly so you are not sent to a place that has closed, changed hands or banned visitors. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.