Entry No. 21 — the Des Moines file — filed under: brothel history
Valley Junction's Hidden Red-Light History (5th Street)
Today's tidy antique-and-gift district along 5th Street was, after its 1893 founding as a busy railroad switching town, a notorious strip of saloons, pool halls, bootleggers and brothels — the seedy underbelly of a stop where 26 passenger trains a day rolled through. The vice is gone but the original buildings survive as a National Register historic district (listed 2017), so the macabre backstory is hiding in plain sight beneath the boutiques.
The story
In 1893, Valley Junction was born as a gritty Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad switching hub. Twenty-six passenger trains rolled through here every single day, dumping off waves of tired railroad workers, gamblers, and transient laborers onto the platform. What followed was predictable: the three-block stretch of 5th Street, anchored at Grand Avenue, quickly grew into a loud, lawless strip packed with saloons, pool halls, bootleggers, and upper-floor brothels serving the raucous crowds.
Decades later, the vice was scrubbed away and the neighborhood rebranded into West Des Moines' tidy downtown, eventually earning a spot on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017. But nobody demolished the original buildings. The Victorian and early 20th-century brick facades lining 5th Street today are the exact same structures where illegal liquor flowed and rooms were rented by the hour. Beneath the modern flower boxes, gift shops, and antique boutiques, the architectural bones of a turn-of-the-century red-light district are hiding in plain sight.
What it's like
Don't look for official historical plaques or marked trails detailing the old brothels—there aren't any. Experiencing the neighborhood's past requires bringing your own eye for architectural detail. Park for free in the public lots tucked behind 4th or 6th Streets and walk the 100-to-300 blocks of 5th Street. Look up at the second-story windows above the storefronts; those narrow side entrances were built specifically for discrete access to upper-floor rooms. On Thursday evenings from May through September, the street closes to cars for a bustling farmers market, but visiting on a quiet weeknight lets you grab a stool in an old storefront pub like G. Mig's and eye the brickwork like an undercover historian.
The move: Walk the three blocks of 5th Street reading the historic buildings as a former red-light strip — pick a bar in one of the old storefronts and trade guesses about which building once housed a brothel or a bootlegger's back room.
📍 Before you go The district runs three walkable blocks along 5th Street in West Des Moines, anchored where it crosses Grand Avenue. Free parking lots sit off 4th and 6th Streets, tucked behind the storefronts on either side; they fill fast on the liveliest nights. The biggest draw is Thursday evenings, roughly May through September, when a long-running farmers market closes the 100-to-300 blocks to traffic and many shops and bars stay open late. Be patient with the premise, too: there are no plaques or marked trail for the red-light past, so this is a self-guided imagination walk that pairs well with browsing the antique shops and grabbing a drink in one of the old storefronts.
- 📍 Valley Junction (West Des Moines)
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Historic 5th Street, West Des Moines, IA 50265
Hours: Outdoor public street, walkable anytime; shops and bars keep their own hours. The vice history is a backstory layer, not a marked attraction.
Pair it with
- Skylabs — Located right on 5th Street, this vintage hi-fi shop lets you drop in to browse analog audio gear in another space that preserves mid-century historic detail.
- Candle Bar DSM — Steps away along the same strip, you can stop in to pour a custom-scented candle as a clean-smelling contrast to the neighborhood's saloon past.
- Drake Municipal Observatory — Head two miles north after dark to trade Valley Junction's earthly backstory for a 1921 limestone observatory holding the cremated ashes of its founder astronomer.
- In Confidence — Drive four miles east into downtown Des Moines to keep the underground theme going inside a speakeasy hidden behind a fake kitchen door.
Good to know
Is there an official tour or map of the red-light history?
No. There are no marked plaques or official guided tours for the vice history; it is entirely a self-guided imagination walk based on observing the surviving late-1800s architecture.
Where is the historic district located?
The historic core runs along three blocks of Historic 5th Street in West Des Moines (Valley Junction), centered around its intersection with Grand Avenue.
Where should I park when visiting?
Free public parking lots sit directly behind the storefronts along 4th Street and 6th Street, though they fill up fast during major neighborhood events.
When is the best time to walk the street?
The public street is walkable anytime. Visit Thursday evenings May through September if you want open shops and the street market, or visit on a weeknight evening for a quieter walk and a drink in one of the old brick buildings.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Wikipedia
last checked: 2026-06-06