She was the madam at 63 Fraser Street for twenty years. Clayton was a successful businesswoman who operated brothels simultaneously in Nanaimo and Vancouver. In Clayton bought the California Hotel in Victoria but was forced to sell it when the liquor license could not be transferred to her because she was a woman. When Clayton died in she owned 10 homes in the Canada and the United States. Minnie Clayton was born Sarah Williams in Pennsylvania in Her family moved to California when she was 12 years old.
Little is known about her adult life in the US but she immigrated to Canada in Clayton lived in Nelson, BC in and her occupation was officially listed as dressmaker and milliner.
However, these occupations were commonly used by sex workers to conceal their illegal profession. By , Clayton was 67 years old and appeared to be retired from operating a brothel in Nanaimo. She still lived on Fraser Street with her longtime companion, 40 year old Frances King.
Nanaimo Historical Society. Destination British Columbia. Campbell River Museum. Nanaimo Museum. It's Giving Tuesday! Learn about all the ways you can support your l Participants will create a weaving of their own to take home at the end of the day. Workshop is January 25, , 10am-4pm. Hear Charles tell stories and help participants learn carving basics. Charles will help design and stain the finished paddles. By the end of the day, participants will take home their carved and stained paddle.
