Chicken Ranch roundup

News of the death Edna Chadwell, née Milton, in Phoenix last Saturday has now spread far and wide, even crossing over to Britain, and hundreds of newspapers, blogs, television and radio stations are reporting the passing of the last madam of the infamous Chicken Ranch of La Grange, Texas. I've collected a sampling of the various stories with links below, but this is hardly exhaustive. I've left out many, many duplicates, most of which are simple reprints of the Associated Press article, which I found uninspired. The best of the lot is the first writeup by Tony Freemantle of the Houston Chronicle. I spent quite a bit of time with him on the phone yesterday, and while the piece is not without flaws, it's still the most comprehensive of the lot.

Houston Chronicle: Last madam of infamous Chicken Ranch has died

[Update: Texas Monthly adds their take, while once again conveniently ignoring me. Guess what guys, Reinert's "definitive" article is wrong on a number of points.] Texas Monthly: Last Madam at the La Grange Chicken Ranch Dead at 84

Broadway World: Last Madam of Original Inspiration for BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS Dies at 84

Chicago Sun-Times: Edna Chadwell, 84, last madam of “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”

The Daily Yonder: 'Chicken Ranch' Owner Dies

The Daily Mail (U.K.): Last madam of infamous brothel that inspired 'The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas' dies at 84

And KTRK-TV, Channel 13 out of Houston, the station that unleashed Marvin Zindler on the world, chimes in as well:


I'm kinda left scratching my head as to why the Austin American-Statesman hasn't written it's own piece rather than relying on the AP, but I've never been able to figure out their editorial judgment. Maybe they're just saving it for John Kelso.

A special shout-out goes to Roy Bragg who worked with me for two days to put together a Miss Edna piece for his newspaper, only to have it bumped at the last minute in favor of someone else's writeup. Life sucks sometime. You're still a hero in our eyes, Roy. Keep fighting the good fight!

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