Polly Bartlett: The Legendary "Murderess of Slaughterhouse Gulch"
Polly Bartlett is one of the most disturbing and controversial figures in the folklore of the American West. According to a story that became widely circulated during the twentieth century, Bartlett and her father operated an isolated lodging house near South Pass City in what is now Wyoming and murdered travelers for their money during the gold-rush era of the late 1860s. Polly was said to have selected men who appeared to be carrying gold, cash, or other valuables, served them food or whiskey containing arsenic, and then robbed them after they died. Her father allegedly helped dispose of their bodies.
The traditional account credits the Bartletts with approximately 22 murders during 1867 and 1868. However, Polly Bartlett's story has a serious historical problem: researchers have been unable to verify the murders through surviving contemporary records. The earliest detailed version generally cited appeared many decades after the supposed crimes. Modern Wyoming historians have therefore questioned whether Bartlett was a genuine serial killer at all, and some consider the entire story to be frontier folklore rather than documented criminal history.
Arrival Near South Pass City
Later accounts describe Polly as the daughter of a man variously identified as Stephen, Jim, or John Bartlett. This inconsistency is one of several problems encountered when attempting to establish the family's history. The Bartletts were supposedly from Cincinnati, Ohio, where Polly's father operated a saloon or drinking establishment. Some versions claim that Polly was already involved in schemes in which men were distracted or seduced while her father robbed them.
The family reportedly traveled west during the mining boom and eventually stopped near South Pass City. Gold discoveries had transformed the area into an active mining district filled with prospectors, businessmen, cattle dealers, salesmen, and travelers. Many of these men carried cash or gold and traveled alone, making them potentially attractive targets for robbery.
The Bartlett family supposedly established themselves along Willow Creek approximately three miles from South Pass City. What began as a camp was later described as the Bartlett Inn, a simple lodging establishment with a house, barn, livestock corrals, and enough space to accommodate travelers.
The Alleged First Murder
According to the traditional story, one of the first men to encounter the Bartletts was a prospector named Lewis or Louis Nichols. Nichols was reportedly traveling east after having some success searching for gold. When he approached the Bartlett camp, he smelled food cooking and offered to pay generously for a meal.
The story claims that Nichols displayed enough money to convince Polly that robbing him would be far more profitable than simply accepting payment for dinner. Polly supposedly placed arsenic in his food. Nichols became violently ill, suffered convulsions, and died shortly afterward. His money and valuables were taken, and his body was allegedly buried in or near the family's livestock enclosure.
No reliable contemporary death record has been located that independently verifies Nichols' supposed murder or establishes an exact date of death. Because of that lack of verification, an exact death date should not be presented as established fact.
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