Entry No. 6 — the Anchorage file — filed under: brothel history
Valley of the Moon Park (the old crib-house red-light row)
This leafy 22-acre creekside park along Chester Creek was, in November 1916, a row of one-woman 'crib houses' — solo brothels built by sex workers who'd just been evicted by the Forest Service from the first red-light strip near the Park Strip. The whole district was dismantled weeks after the era's only known photo was taken.
The story
In November 1916, sex workers evicted by the Forest Service from Anchorage's original red-light strip near the Park Strip staked out a new sanctuary along Chester Creek. They built a row of small, single-room 'crib houses' in what is now Valley of the Moon Park, running independent brothel operations along the creek bank to stay just outside federal jurisdiction.
The makeshift red-light row didn't last past winter. Weeks after a photographer captured the only known photograph of the cribs, local authorities moved in and dismantled the entire district. The structures were pulled down and cleared away, leaving no foundations, brickwork, or physical traces behind.
Today, the 22-acre parcel operates as a South Addition neighborhood park with a playground and a fenced dog park. But if you stand on the creek banks near dusk, you are standing on the exact ground where early Anchorage's briefest red-light sanctuary flared up and vanished before the town was even five years old.
What it's like
Tucked off 17th Avenue, the park feels like a standard neighborhood hub where dogs run in the off-leash area and cyclists pass through on the paved Lanie Fleischer Chester Creek Trail. The small parking lot fills up quickly on warm summer days, but as you walk down toward the wooded banks of Chester Creek, the park quietens down. There are no markers or signs pointing out the 1916 brothel row, so bring up David Reamer’s ADN historical account on your phone to compare the lone surviving photograph against the current tree line—a quiet, secret history scavenger hunt that every passing jogger is completely oblivious to.
The move: Pull up David Reamer's ADN history on your phone, then walk the Chester Creek path at dusk and try to place where the crib-house row stood — a quiet, slightly illicit history scavenger hunt that nobody else on the trail knows they're walking through.
📍 Before you go Tucked into the South Addition neighborhood off 17th Avenue, the park has its own lot, though it fills fast on bright summer days; it doubles as a family playground and dog park, so keep the red-light backstory between the two of you. The payoff is timing: come in summer when Anchorage daylight stretches past midnight, or aim for the long dusk that makes the creekside path feel quietly haunted. The paved Lanie Fleischer Chester Creek Trail runs right through, linking Westchester Lagoon to the west and Goose Lake to the east, so you can stretch the walk in either direction and pair it with the Coastal Trail nearby.
- 📍 South Addition
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Outdoors
Pair it with
- Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery (the unmarked-graves Pioneer Cemetery) — Pair a walk along Chester Creek's former red-light strip with a quiet visit to this 1915 cemetery where over 15,000 early Anchorage residents are buried.
- Hotel Captain Cook - Haunted Women's Restroom — Follow up your scavenger hunt for Anchorage's vanished brothel row with another piece of downtown history and urban legend inside the Hotel Captain Cook.
- Chilkoot Charlie's (Koot's) — After a quiet walk along the creek at dusk, head down into Spenard to explore the eight wildly distinct rooms inside this sprawling 1970s bar complex.
- "Spen" — the Spam Can & Raven Sculpture — Follow the Chester Creek path outward toward Spenard to see another eccentric piece of local outdoor heritage standing right along Spenard Road.
Good to know
Where was Anchorage's 1916 crib-house row located?
The solo brothels stood along the banks of Chester Creek inside what is now Valley of the Moon Park, located in the South Addition neighborhood off 17th Avenue.
Why were the crib houses built along Chester Creek?
Sex workers built them in November 1916 after being evicted by the Forest Service from the town's initial red-light strip near the Park Strip.
Are there any visible ruins or historical markers at the site today?
No. The entire district was dismantled weeks after it was established in late 1916, leaving no physical structures, ruins, or official historical plaques in the park.
What trails and amenities are at Valley of the Moon Park?
The 22-acre park has a parking lot, playground, fenced dog park, and direct access to the paved Lanie Fleischer Chester Creek Trail, which links Westchester Lagoon to Goose Lake and connects to the nearby Coastal Trail.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: adn.com · x.com
last checked: 2026-06-06