Melvina Massey: Fargo’s Most Famous Madam

A May 4, 1911, obituary in the Fargo (North Dakota) Forum declared, “Aged Negress Is Dead,” and points to a complex intersection of race, gender, and sexuality on the edge of the northern Great Plains between 1885 and 1911 (FF, 4 May 1911). The deceased woman, Melvina Massey, gained notoriety because she owned and operated the Crystal Palace, a brothel that was successful, though illegal, in the heart of Fargo’s red-light district for two decades. According to the obituary, Massey was 73 years old and was a “well-known character in Fargo.” Her name frequently appeared in the Fargo Forum and