Question: What Texan was the prototype for the character “Miss Kitty Russell” in the western TV show Gunsmoke?
Answer: Lottie Deno, a house gambler at San Antonio’s University Club, where she became known as “the Angel of San Antonio” in the 1860s. Born Charlotte Tompkins in Kentucky in 1844, she moved to Detroit with her family after they lost their fortune during the Civil War. She started gambling to support her family and, finding success, she moved to San Antonio, where she went to work as a card dealer for the University Club. Deno reportedly acquired her name when a player suggested she should call herself “Lotta Dinero.”
