Inside The Texas Chicken Ranch

Thanks to the classic Dolly Parton film The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and ZZ Top's ode "La Grange," many people think they know the story of the infamous Chicken Ranch. The reality is more complex, lying somewhere between heartbreaking and absurd. For more than a century, dirt farmers and big-cigar politicians alike rubbed shoulders at the Chicken Ranch, operated openly under the sheriff's watchful eye. Madam Edna Milton and her girls ran a tight, discreet ship that the God-fearing people of La Grange tolerated if not outright embraced. That is, until a secret conspiracy enlisted an opportunistic reporter to bring it all crashing down on primetime television. Drawn from exclusive interviews and expanded with newly uncovered information, Jayme Lynn Blaschke's revelatory exposition of the Ranch illuminates the truth and lies surrounding this iconic brothel.

The permanent closure of the Chicken Ranch on August 1, 1973, made international headlines. The legendary brothel--reputed to have maintained continuous business for 144 years--seemed invincible until that fateful day. But if the brothel's opponents had hoped the story would end there, they were surely disappointed. Immortalized by a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical and subsequent motion picture, "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" grew in fame and notoriety even as time and neglect took a toll on the original building. Decades passed, and rumors spread even as memory faded. The Chicken Ranch had moved to Dallas and became a restaurant, some recalled. No, it had burned to the ground, others said. They tore it down long ago, argued another. No matter the story, one thing remained consistent: There was nothing left to see. Now, on the 40th anniversary of the Chicken Ranch's closure, GHOSTS OF THE CHICKEN RANCH takes readers on a photographic tour of the brothel's ruins and shows that "nothing left to see" is not entirely true...

"The Chicken Ranch was the one, great festering, frustrating sore on the face of law enforcement in Texas."The year was 1973. The State of Texas had just elected a new reform-minded governor and attorney general. And Houston's ABC-TV affiliate station at Channel 13 had just launched a new consumer-oriented investigative feature by hiring flamboyant former lawman Marvin Zindler to seize the spotlight. The roads from those disparate events crossed quickly in dramatic fashion to national acclaim in the Texas Hill Country village of La Grange, which had harbored the country's longest continually operating bordello-a little place known as the Chicken Ranch and beloved to generations of Texas school boys. When Zindler's sensational TV expose forced the Chicken Ranch to close, it triggered a national controversy that raged for years, highlighted by the creation of a successful Broadway musical called The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. The movie version starred Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton in the fictionalized account that boiled the story down to a basic theme still used in its marketing pitch: "Texas madam Miss Mona and her sheriff boyfriend try to save her chicken ranch from a TV muckraker."But lost amid the romanticized singing and the dancing and the nostalgic pining of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas lies an authentic true crime history yarn just as entertaining and as much a part of the Lone Star State's many fabled legends. In I, the People, veteran Houston journalist and author Gary Taylor recreates the real story behind the closing of the Chicken Ranch and explains the forces that unleashed TV icon Marvin Zindler upon the national scene.ReviewsMidwest Book Review: The famed film 'Best Little Whorehouse in Texas' had its roots in reality, but its charm wears thin when it has connections to organized crime. "I, the People: How Marvin Zindler Busted the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" is Gary Taylor's coverage of the story that tells of fellow journalist Marvin Zindler's personal crusade against the famous brothel the Chicken Ranch and the puppet strings of the Mafia behind it. For those who want the true story behind the story, "I, the People" is well worth considering.POD People: You may have heard of the "Chicken Ranch," AKA "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," from the musical or the movie of the later name. Well, Gary Taylor, intrepid Texan journalist, has the real story. Taylor has a wonderful eye for character, and the Chicken Ranch story is full of them. This book is a fascinating look at characters from an era when Texas transitioned itself from the Wild West to civilization. I highly recommend I The People.

Operating just outside of Houston for 130 years, the Chicken Ranch was probably the oldest continually active brothel in America. Now readers can leam all about it: its long and often lurid history, the countless colorful characters who worked there, were its clients, its enemies, or its supporters. The book has all the verve and vivaciousness of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the hit Broadway play about events at the Chicken Ranch. It is a ribald, rousing, and witty account of thirteen decades of social change as revealed in the unguarded moments and most personal behavior of people of all sorts -- at their best and their worst. From its founding in 1844 to its closing in 1974 after a stormy media battle, the Chicken Ranch assumed an almost legendary reputation in the Southwest. It was in the naughty dreams of every Texas schoolboy, and it was part of the naughtier reality of the many politicians who slept there. Author Jan Hutson provides a close-up view of a gallery of American personalities. There are the madams: Mrs. Swine, Miss Jessie, Edna Milton, and others. There is the sheriff, Jim Flournoy, who fought to keep the Ranch open (and thus keep vice controlled), battling against television reporter Marvin Zindler, who wanted to close it down (while bringing his ratings up). The descriptions of these and other men and women involved with the Chicken Ranch make unforgettable reading. The Chicken Ranch is a fascinating cross section of American life. It is the enormously human, inescapably humorous story of the habits, hangups, hatreds, loves, and lives of real people. It is not only exciting, intriguing, and entertaining -- it is true.

The road that runs through all our lives, paved with treasured memories of family, food, and fun, is our infinite feast, of holidays and special occasions and all the other days in between. All generations will be glad to see these old and new recipes, such as Tomato Okra Casserole, Nanaimo Bars, Paradise Almond Chicken, and Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes. The book is divided seasonally, from the new year to the harvest moon, with chapters such as "The Winter Feast," "Holiday in Venice," "Patio Party," and "Silver Bells."

When Lisa Fain, a seventh-generation Texan, moved to New York City, she missed the big sky, the bluebonnets in spring, Friday night football, and her family's farm. But most of all, she missed the foods she'd grown up with. After a fruitless search for tastes of Texas in New York City, Fain took matters into her own hands. She headed into the kitchen to cook for her friends the Tex-Mex, the chili, and the country comfort dishes that reminded her of home. From cheese enchiladas drowning in chili gravy to chicken-fried steak served with cream gravy on the side, from warm bowls of chile con queso to big pots of fiery chili made without beans, Fain re-created the wonderful tastes of Texas she'd always enjoyed at potlucks, church suppers, and backyard barbecues back home. In 2006, Fain started the blog Homesick Texan to share Texan food with fellow expatriates, and the site immediately connected with readers worldwide, Texan and non-Texan alike. Now, in her long-awaited first cookbook, Fain brings the comfort of Texan home cooking to you. Like Texas itself, the recipes in this book are varied and diverse, all filled with Fain's signature twists. There's Salpicón, a cool shredded beef salad found along the sunny border in El Paso; Soft Cheese Tacos, a creamy plate unique to Dallas; and Houston-Style Green Salsa, an avocado and tomatillo salsa that is smooth, refreshing, and bright. There are also nibbles, such as Chipotle Pimento Cheese and Tomatillo Jalapeno Jam; sweet endings, such as Coconut Tres Leches Cake and Mexican Chocolate Chewies; and fresh takes on Texan classics, such as Coffee-Chipotle Oven Brisket, Ancho Cream Corn, and Guajillo-Chile Fish Tacos. With more than 125 recipes, The Homesick Texan offers a true taste of the Lone Star State. So pull up a chair-everyone's welcome at the Texas table!

Operating just outside of Houston for 130 years, the Chicken Ranch was probably the oldest continually active brothel in America. Now readers can leam all about it: its long and often lurid history, the countless colorful characters who worked there, were its clients, its enemies, or its supporters. The book has all the verve and vivaciousness of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the hit Broadway play about events at the Chicken Ranch. It is a ribald, rousing, and witty account of thirteen decades of social change as revealed in the unguarded moments and most personal behavior of people of all sorts -- at their best and their worst. From its founding in 1844 to its closing in 1974 after a stormy media battle, the Chicken Ranch assumed an almost legendary reputation in the Southwest. It was in the naughty dreams of every Texas schoolboy, and it was part of the naughtier reality of the many politicians who slept there. Author Jan Hutson provides a close-up view of a gallery of American personalities. There are the madams: Mrs. Swine, Miss Jessie, Edna Milton, and others. There is the sheriff, Jim Flournoy, who fought to keep the Ranch open (and thus keep vice controlled), battling against television reporter Marvin Zindler, who wanted to close it down (while bringing his ratings up). The descriptions of these and other men and women involved with the Chicken Ranch make unforgettable reading. The Chicken Ranch is a fascinating cross section of American life. It is the enormously human, inescapably humorous story of the habits, hangups, hatreds, loves, and lives of real people. It is not only exciting, intriguing, and entertaining -- it is true.