 Having worked as a prostitute in Abilene, Texas and Dodge City, Kansas, she became madam of a brothel in Springfield, Illinois in 1865 at the age of 19.She became one of the best known madams in the west, having brothels in Dodge City, Georgetown, Colorado and Denver, Colorado, where demand for women was high due to the Colorado gold rushes.Silks was described as a very good looking woman, with spirit and a competitive nature.