Billie Morton

Billie Morton, a sex worker who made bank

Billie Morton was a sex worker in Edmonton who made bank between 1910/1911 and 1914. How do I know that? Well, please read on!

She arrived in Edmonton either in 1910 or 1911 [1][2]. When she first arrived she rented a room at the “Palace Rooms” on Namayo Ave (now 97 st) [3]. By May 1, 1914, Billie had purchased a 19 room rooming house at 426 Kinistino (now 10254 96 St, currently a parking lot) [4]

The building is described as a two story “brick block”, with 4 rooms on the main floor and 19 to 20 rooms on the second floor. There are shops on the main floor and in June 1914 one was being rented out to “I think they are Greek fellows” - Billie Morton. [5]

You might be asking, but how does this equal bank? Maybe rooming houses were just really affordable in 1914.

Thanks to the transcript of the investigation we actually have some of the numbers and can do the math.

The Math

Billie was renting the rooming house. She purchased the lease from one Mrs. Jessie Bell (more on her later) and the rooming house was $175 a month [6]. Billie also bought the furniture that came with the place for $600 ($15 914.75 in 2024).[7]

In 2024, according to the Bank of Canada Inflation Calculator, $175 is $4641.80 (which yes, is a very affordable rooming house in 2025. No one is renting a 19-20 room building for $4600 in Edmonton now).[8]

$175 was an increase of $75 from her previous place at 450 Fraser Ave (now 10434 98 st, just behind the Royal Alberta Museum). This increase is noted as being a large one by Biggar (also more on him later) [9] (in 2025 that is a $2000 increase) and Billie does agree that she expected to be able to make money on the new place [10]

Our lawyer friend, Biggar, spent a fair bit of time ascertaining exactly how much Billie expected to make on the place. Her plan was to rent the rooms upstairs to other sex workers for $3-$6 a week and rent the shops on the main floor for $40 per month. This comes out to netting $400-$500 from rent in a month, if everything was rented out. [11]

In today's money that is netting $13, 213.11 per month, which is pretty darn good.

To recap, in 3 short years Billie Morton went from renting a room in a rooming house (rent unknown at the time) to being able to purchase a 19-20 room rooming house of her own. I am impressed.

But Who Was She?

A great question. I firmly do not believe her parents named her “Billie” on day one so I assume she was using a working name or a nickname. She goes by “Mrs” but many of the sex workers do at the time and I suspect that might be a type of protection or socially done thing. I am not sure but I am also not willing to bet she is or isn’t married.

There are women who are interviewed during the investigation who are “Mrs” and are separated from their husbands[I will add this citation in later]. Billie is not asked about a husband when interviewed.

Description

The Edmonton Bulletin (a now defunct newspaper that, from my reading, very much acted as the local gossip rag) describes her as “A woman of medium height, dressed in a black hat, and black costume, she gave her evidence in a low voice, seated at the witness box.” [12]

Interestingly enough, when I first read about the colour of her outfit I pictured a very sombre look. Then I did more reading into the society pages of the Bulletin and discovered that black as a colour was all the rage. “Black Most Popular Color For Women Who Dress Well” read a headline in the Bulletin on January 27, 1914. [13]

As a result, I now picture her as showing up looking very stylish, which is a fantastic power move.

What Else is Known?

In the book Red Light on the Prairies by James Gray (1971) [14] he says that Billie Morton arrived in Edmonton in 1910 from Jasper. He cites the Edmonton Bulletin, June 12, 1914 as his source. However, I have not been able to find anything that confirms her year of arrival or where she came from.

It is entirely possible James talked to her himself, as he did interview some of the folks involved as part of his book. He does not say though, as he chose to let his interviewees remain anonymous (fair enough).

My plan is to keep digging and see if I can find her.

She appears three more times that I have been able to find and confirm, between 1917 and 1920. Each time is because she has been arrested.

1917

On June 23, in Big Valley, AB, she was convicted of “vagrancy” - a vague catch-all crime that was used to charge people when they couldn’t convict them of something else, much like loitering (this is my opinion. I still have to go do more reading about what “vagrancy” actually meant in 1914). [15]

Her lawyer, one Mr. Gordon Winkler said they would fight the charges and on June 27, the charges were dropped.[16]

1918

On November 2, in Edmonton, “Mrs. Billie Morton at 10225 102 st” plead guilty to keeping a disorderly house (AKA a brothel, or bawdy house). She was fined $150 or three months in jail

[17]

1920

On September 16, in Edmonton, “Charles McMillan and Billie Morton” were jointly charged and convicted of “permitting drunkenes on their premises” at 11036 95 st. They were each fined $10 [18]

After that I don’t know where she ended up. I am still looking but if you know anything about this woman please let me know.

References:

Jams Gray, Red Lights on the Prairies, (Toronto: McMillan Company of Canada, 1971) pg. 110, accessed through Internet Archive
“Civic Investigation” (Rg 8. 18, Box #2, Edmonton, AB, 1914) pg. 27
Ibid.
“Civic Investigation” (Rg 8.18, Box #2, Edmonton, AB 1914) pg. 25
“Civic Investigation” (Rg 8.18, Box #2, Edmonton, AB 1914) pg. 26
“Civic Investigation” (Rg 8.18, Box #2, Edmonton, AB 1914) pg. 39
“Civic Investigation” (Rg. 8.18, Box#2, Edmonton, AB 1914) pg. 38
“Inflation Calculator”, Bank of Canada, accessed December 5, 2024, https://www.bankofcanada.ca/rates/related/inflation-calculator/
“Civic Investigation” (Rg 8.18, Box#2, Edmonton, AB 1914) pg. 46
“Civic Investigation” (Rg.8.18, Box#2, Edmonton, AB 1914) pg. 47
Ibid.
“Yesterday’s Evidence In Police Investigation Substantiates Charges Made by the Bulletin”, The Edmonton Bulletin,(Edmonton, AB) June 13, 1914
“Black Most Popular Color For Women Who Dress Well”, The Edmonton Bulletin, (Edmonton, AB) January 27, 1914
James Gray, Red Lights on the Prairies, (Toronto: McMillan Company of Canada, 1971) Pg. 110, accessed through Internet Archive
“Police Court”, The Edmonton Bulletin, (Edmonton, AB) June 23, 1917
“Conviction Are Quashed”, The Edmonton Bulletin, (Edmonton, AB) June 27, 1917ht
The Edmonton Bulletin, (Edmonton, AB) November 2, 1918
“Police Secure Scotch Whiskey Result of Raid”, The Edmonton Bulletin,(Edmonton, AB) September 16, 1914