Royal excitement puts spotlight on Saanich Peninsula The bulk of the sex trade, though, was conducted farther north.
Herald, Chatham and Fisgard streets were the heart of the red-light district, with some brothels also on Broad and Johnson.
Here the sailors, workmen and others further down the social scale could be entertained. Business boomed in the 19th century. Even in , there were far more men than women in Victoria, and something of the frontier prevailed. On to this scene came Stella Carroll.
Born in Missouri, she had grown up in the rough-and-tumble American West. By age 25, with two failed marriages behind her, she went to San Francisco to seek her fortune. Opportunities for women were much fewer than they are today, but one business had great possibilities. Brothels were traditionally run by women, and were in high demand. She was not interested in being a prostitute herself. She wanted to run the show. Fate intervened for Stella. In she went to visit her friend Vera Ashton, who ran a brothel in Victoria.
Vera was about to sell her business to another woman named Marval Conn. But while Stella was there, Conn had a terrible accident and died. While upset at this death, Stella had the sense to realize that this was an opportunity. Taking Vera aside, she proposed to step in and conclude the purchase. Vera agreed, and Stella became the proprietor of a fine, two-storey establishment in the Duck Block on Broad Street. Stella was lucky that her new landlord was Simeon Duck.
