Eleanor Alphonsine Dumont (abt. 1829 - 1879)

Born about 1829 in France

Died 8 Sep 1879 at about age 50 in Bodie, Mono County, California

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Robert Green [send private message]

Biography

Eleanor Dumont was thought to have been born around 1829 in either France or New Orleans, Louisiana. As a young woman she quickly became a well known gambler on the western frontier, especially during the California Gold Rush. She was an accomplished card dealer and made a living from twenty-one and other casino games. Moving from place to place, she was reported to work in San Francisco, California; Fort Benton, Montana; Pioche, Nevada; Tombstone, Arizona, and other well traveled trading posts and mining towns. In Nevada City, California, Eleanor opened up a gambling parlor named "Vingt-et-un," (french for "Twenty-One") on Broad Street. Men came from all around to see the woman dealer. Only well-kept men were allowed in her establishment. They all admired her for her beauty, charm and her ability to keep her composure while taking control of abrupt situations. She was a very private and respectful lady, flirting only to keep her customers coming in. She had her hands full since no other women were allowed in her establishment. With the success of the parlor, she decided to expand and go into business with Dave Tobin, an experienced gambler. They opened up "Dumont's Place" and were successful enough to keep several games going all night and day. But when the gold started to dry up in Nevada City, she left for Carson City, Nevada. Eleanor invested in a new adventure and bought a cattle ranch. She fell in love with Jack McKnight, who posed as a cattle buyer. She trusted the wrong man because Jack swindled her out of her money, sold her ranch, and left her with outstanding debts. Eleanor knew just how to get back on her feet, she moved around, gambling and saving her money until she could open up another parlor. Like always, Eleanor's new place was popular. They came for her long-standing reputation as a fair dealer in a pleasurable atmosphere. This time no man was going to take advantage of her, she wasn't about to take it lying down, so she hired some women that would. In the 1860's, Eleanor allowed women in her parlor, and became a "Madame." To promote her business, she would parade her girls around the town in carriages, showing off their beauty in broad daylight, much to the dismay of the 'proper' women. As another decade passed, Eleanor had enough experience to take on anything that came her way, but sometimes as we get older, life can give us more than we expect, in Eleanor's case, it was fuzz over her upper lip. By August 1877, she was dealing in Deadwood, and her novel look made the local papers:

“A character who attracts the attention of all strangers is "Mme. Moustache," a plump little French lady, perhaps forty years of age, but splendidly preserved. She derives her name, which is the only one she is known by, from a dainty strip of black hair upon her upper lip. She deals her own faro bank, and is quite popular with the boys, who treat her with marked respect. She has bright black eyes and a musical voice, and there is something attractive about her as she looks up with a little smile and says, ‘You will play, M’sieur?’” the article continued by saying, “No one knows her history, which would probably be very romantic if correctly written."

Eleanor's last stop was Bodie, California, she worked as a dealer at her own table in the Magnolia Saloon. One night while gambling, her till was running low, she borrowed $300 from a friend to keep the table open. Unfortunately, the cards wasn't in her favor that night and she lost the bank. Distraught, she quietly left and wandered outside of town. She was found dead on September 8, 1879, of an overdose of morphine, apparently a suicide, along with a note stating, she was "tired of life."

Eleanor is buried in the cemetery outside of the now ghost town of Bodie, California, near Bridgeport on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Bodie California Cemetery

Source: Old West Photos and More: [1]

Sources

• Wikipedia Profile: [2]

• Old West Photos and More: [3]

• The Death of Madame Mustache: Bodie’s Most Celebrated Inhabitant. By Michael H. Piatt. [4]

• Legends of America Profile: [5]