SALOONS - SOCIAL HUBS OF THE WEST

by Pam North

     More than three centuries of history surround the saloon.
Saloons are possibly a carryover from the settlers' heritage from
Europe, where local water was often unfit for human consumption, and
alcohol became for many an integral part of the fabric of life.
Solitary drinking was soon eclipsed by the greater pleasure of doing
it with others, and thus drinking houses evolved, fulfilling a real
social need.  Men gathered in these comfortable havens to socialize
with their peers, and exchange gossip and views on issues of the
day. They could relax, still in their work clothes, and imbibe in a
few stiff drinks and strong cigars, enjoy a few rounds of billiards or
cards, eat a hearty meal, and perhaps engage the services of the
ladies of easy virtue who waited expectantly nearby.  The local saloon
was a great social leveler; rich and poor could rub shoulders and
exchange conversation in a spirit of equality.

     Often the initial business in a frontier town, saloons usually
flourished and multiplied.  The earliest versions were simply canvas
tents, or primitive log or board sheds, equipped with the barest
essentials: a few liquor barrels, a rough-sawn board that functioned
as a bar, some tin cups (not guaranteed to be clean), and a few tallow
candles for light.  As they evolved from these crude beginnings,
saloons upgraded to more substantial and permanent buildings sharing a
few general characteristics.  A prominent bar, crafted of hardwood and
often richly embellished with carving, occupied most of the wall along
the room's longest dimension, typically at the left of the entrance,
which often had a pair of swinging doors.  An ornate backbar with a
diamond-dust mirror dominated the wall behind the bar; the reflection
provided the customer a means of watching his back as well as
appearing to multiply the number of liquor bottles on display.
Sawdust was liberally sprinkled on the wood floor to absorb spilled
drinks, ill-aimed tobacco spits that missed the brass spittoons, and
any errant bits of gold dust that might fall as payment was being
made.  The sawdust (and the carpet of later, more plush establishments) 
was exmained on a regular basis to retrieve any gold that landed on
the floor.  A back door or side entrance was considered mandatory for
the use of special customers or as a hasty escape when needed.  A back
room was also a desirable extra amenity to accommodate private card 
games and major business deals.

     Saloons had their own genre of art, encompassing colorful
advertising posters supplied by brewers, plaques with witty sayings,
steel engraving of presidents, photographs of John L. Sullivan, and
depictions of various seafaring, heroic or patriotic themes.  The most
prominent and common artistic rendering, however, was the form of a
beautiful woman - amply endowed, preferably unclothed, and
horizontally posed - all the ideal female qualities in the mind of
every man.

     In addition to drinking and social interaction, games of chance
were the predominant form of recreation in these male sanctuaries.
Besides several varieties of card games (poker, blackjack, klondike,
faro and keno), matches between anything that moved were highly
regarded.  Cock fights, dog fights, wrestling matches and
bare-knuckled boxing bouts - all were enthusiastically backed with
cheers, bets, boos and booze.  Entertainment came from other venues as
well; musicians and singers were employed to tempt the public inside,
and hurdy-gurdy girls were on hand to dance with any gent willing to
pay for the privilege.  Even fortune tellers plied their trade,
claiming that within the depths of their crystal balls could come (for
a fee) the answer to where that next lucky gold strike might be
located.

     Other services were often provided by saloons, from letter boxes
for the receiving of mail, to deposit boxes for the storage of
valuables likely to be lost during a drunken binge.  Civic meetings
and benefits were held in saloons, news bulletins posted, and
out-of-town newspapers made available.  Business was conducted,
auctions held, and trades made.  Newspaper reporters regarded saloons
as a source for news (a perfect excuse to justify time spent there).
Medical emergencies were brought in, the men doctored with whiskey as
an anesthetic while broken bones were set, bullets removed, and wounds
sutured.  In an era when few homes had plumbing, the saloon offered
baths and a comfort station to a public that was willing to pay for
convenience and cleanliness.

     Banned by custom (and sometimes even by law) from most such
establishments, few decent women ever ventured into a saloon before
the 1920s.  Women did indulge themselves in the pleasures of drinking,
however, and it was only a matter of time before ways were devised to
cater to the ladies' penchant to imbibe.  Saloons, therefore, did not
remain solely male bastions.  Side doors leading to separate lounges
and sitting rooms became a convenience saloons were willing to offer
to capture the business of women, providing them with privacy,
comfort, and separation from the boisterous atmosphere of the main
barroom.  The traditional, often bawdy saloon decor appreciated by
male customers was replaced in the ladies' parlors by pretty
landscapes and sentimental pictures of a more suitable delicate
nature.  Mixed drinks more palatable to feminine tastes were devised
and served - usually sweet, fruity concoctions laced heavily with
whiskey.
 
     In direct opposition to these female saloon aficionados was
another segment of womanhood.  Possibly because their husbands used
the saloons to escape their wives and responsibilities, these women
retaliated by banding together in militant anti-liquor crusades.  The
ladies used a variety of devious methods to bring misery to the lives
of the men who frequented saloons.  They observed from outside as the
men entered the establishments, recording the identity of each patron,
the length of time of his stay, and the level of his inebriation at
his departure.  Meetings were held that consisted of prayers, hymns
and protest songs, and fiery speeches on the evils of drinking for
inspiration; then the women would leave in a resolute group, march
determinedly toward the nearest saloon and kneel down at or just
inside the swinging doors, praying and continuing their loud
vilification of alcohol.  Male reaction to these intrusions were
predictable, ranging from simple escape to utterances of choice oaths,
obscenities and threats, to offers to buy the women drinks.  Carry
Nation was one of the most famous protesters against alcohol, and some
saloons posted signs that proclaimed, "All Nations Welcome Except
Carry!"

     Then there were women like Martha "Calamity Jane" Canary, who
dressed, drank and cussed like a man; saloons often denied her entry
for fear she would give them a bad name.

     The only women visible in saloons were the ones who profited from
the company of men.  There was the prostitute, who operated out of the
back-alley cribs to implement the main-street saloons.  There was the
dance hall girl, who, for a ticket ranging in price from a nickel to a
dollar, took a few turns around the dance floor with her partner, then
expected him to buy her a drink (usually watered down or completely
devoid of alcohol), adding to the establishment's profits, There was
also the woman pickpocket, who would loiter at the entrance of the
saloon and prey upon exiting inebriated customers by jostling against
them and deftly lightening their pockets.  There were the barmaid and
the entertainer; these women seemed to be slightly more highly
regarded than the others, as evidenced by the fact that men accepted
them and often married them.  Even in the repressed Victorian era,
women learned to take advantage of opportunity and involve themselves
in a world supposedly not open to them.

     The multi-functional saloon was a cherished institution in its own
right, often instrumental in the survival and growth of a town.  Its
position of importance and relevance in the culture and history of
the American West is undisputed.