Legendary Watering Holes ― The Saloons That Made Texas Famous

Saloons, barrooms, honky-tonks, or watering holesby whatever name, they are part of the mythology of the American West, and their stories are cocktails of legend and fact, as Richard Selcer, David Bowser, Nancy Hamilton, and Chuck Parsons demonstrate in these entertaining and informative accounts of four legendary Texas establishments.

In most Western communities, the first saloon was built before the first church, and the drinking establishments far outnumbered the religious ones. Beyond their obvious functions, saloons served as community centers, polling places, impromptu courtrooms, and public meeting halls. The authors of this volume discuss both the social and operational aspects of the businesses: who the owners were, what drinks were typically served, the democratic ethos that reigned at the bars, the troubling issues of social segregation by race and gender within each establishment, and the way order was maintainedif it was at all.

Here, the spotlight is thrown on four saloons that were legends in their day: Jack Harris’s Saloon and Vaudeville Theater in San Antonio, Ben Dowell’s Saloon in El Paso, the Iron Front of Austin, and the White Elephant of Fort Worth. Together with architectural renderings of the floor plans and old photographs of the establishments and some of their more famous customers, the history of each is woven into the history of its city. Fatal shootings are recounted, and forms of entertainment are described with care and verve.

One of this book’s most fascinating aspects is the sharp detail that brings to life the malodorous, smoky interiors and the events that took place there. Selcer and his co-authors are experts on their respective watering holes. They start with the origins of each establishment and follow their stories until the last drink was served and the places closed down for good. There are stops along the way to consider the construction of the ornate bars, the suppliers of the liquor served, the attire of the gentlemen gamblers, the variety of casino games that emptied men’s pockets, and more. Through the wealth of detail and the animated narrative, a crucial part of Texas’ Western heritage becomes immediately accessible to the present.

Editor and compiler Richard Selcer is a long-time adjunct professor of history at Cedar Valley College in Dallas, Texas, and at the International University in Vienna, Austria. He lives in Fort Worth and has written six books on Western and Civil War history.David Bowser, born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, is now known as the historical detective” of San Antonio, where he has lived for over twenty-five years. He is the author ofWest of the Creek: Murder, Mayhem, and Vice in Old San Antonio.Nancy Hamilton, a past president of Western Writers of America, specializes in hisotry of the El Paso area. She retired in 1990 as associate director of Texas Western Press at the University of Texas at El Paso. She currently chairs the University of TexasEl Paso Heritage Commission.Chuck Parsons, a Texan by choice, has for decades held a deep interest in the Old West, the Texas Rangers, and outlaws and lawmen. He is the author of Captain L. H. McNellyTexas Ranger: The Life and Times of a Fighting Man.