The regulars at saloons often acquired calluses on their elbows by prolonged and heavy leaning on the bar. The patrons were a varied lot — from miners to outlaws, to gamblers and honest workmen. What they were not — were minorities. Saloons of the West did not welcome other races. Indians were excluded by law. An occasional black man might begrudgingly be accepted, or at least ignored if he happened to be a noted gambler or outlaw.
If a Chinese man entered a saloon, he risked his life. Montana Hotel Saloon , Anaconda, Montana. That was the soldier. There were several reasons for this. Finally, for some unknown reason, they blamed the soldier for infecting the parlor house girls with diseases.
Due to the culture at the time, respectable women were also excluded. In retaliation, the ladies were primarily behind the prohibition movement. With their varied and often shady backgrounds, curiosity was considered impolite. If and when it was, it could be very unhealthy for the inquirer, who might end up dead in the street in front of the saloon. For instance, one would never ask a rancher the size of his herd, which would be tantamount to asking a man to see their income tax return today.
Another custom was the expected offer to treat the man standing next to you to a drink. Even worse, was refusing a drink, which was considered a terrible insult, regardless of the vile liquor that might be served. However, if a man came in and confessed that he was broke and needed a drink, few men would refuse him. Because the saloon was usually one of the first and bigger buildings within many new settlements, it was common that it was also utilized as a public meeting place.
Judge Roy Bean and his combination saloon and courtroom were a prime example of this practice. Another saloon in Downieville, California was not only the most popular saloon in town but also the office of the local Justice of the Peace. Several noted gunmen of the west owned saloons, tended bar, or dealt cards at one time or another. But, most notable among the many saloons of the West, was the ever-present violence that was instigated or occurred within these establishments.
There were numerous killings inside of these Old West saloons. Many other acts of violence were instigated in saloons, which wound up with shoot-outs in the street, or public hangings after vigilante groups had formed within a saloon. And lest we not forget the saloon or dance-hall girl , whose job was to brighten the evenings of lonely men starved for female companionship.
Commonly found behind the bar were drinks that were made with little more than burnt sugar, straight, raw alcohol, and chewing tobacco. This made for some pretty potent albeit probably somewhat risky concoctions, each of which bearing a name that related to its flavor - or lack thereof. One of the most popular drinks, however, was not one that was mixed.
Rather, it was straight alcohol which was called 'Firewater,' which was what we know today as whiskey. According to the earliest known recordings, this whiskey gained its name when settlers bargained with the Native Americans; in an effort to convince them that the alcohol content was reasonably high, the whiskey would be poured over an open flame, thus the name given to it as the blaze grew stronger.
Saloons weren't always places of friendly socialization. A man's reputation depended on his bar decisions from the moment he walked through the door of one of these social halls.
There was no excuse for ordering a mixed drink or sipping it rather than just downing it, as men would easily be taunted for the lack of being able to handle their liquor. To counteract this, it became necessary for many to prove their manliness, whether it be by finishing a drink at gunpoint which did happen or starting a bar fight, which wasn't exactly uncommon at saloons in the west.
Saloons were also home to poker tables, serving to encourage social interaction but also encouraging gambling while drinking.
They turned into true party spots and after refrigeration was introduced int eh s, it became even easier for saloon owners to keep products cold, and to keep more products, such as beer since there was finally a means by which to serve cold drinks.
Prior to this, beer was consumed at temperatures as warm as 65 degrees, encouraging saloon-goers to drink even faster in order to avoid drinking a hot beverage. Obviously, during the summertime, this could prove unpleasant. Located throughout the American frontier, Western saloons were part of the landscape, present in small camps and growing towns alike.
Saloons in the Wild West served as repositories of information, houses of companionship, and refuge points amid isolation and loneliness.
The activities that took place at saloons were emblematic of the American West itself; just as settlers gambled everything to embark into the unknown, saloon patrons could bet their earnings on a friendly game of faro or poker.
Saloons provided a means of survival, even offering a chance at wealth and prosperity on the frontier. The realities of an old Western saloon match up to how you might imagine them - gathering places for men interested in drinking, gambling, and an overall good time - only with fewer gunfights and a lot more variability. In contrast to the depictions of saloons in popular culture, the drinking establishments functioned more as places to find conversation and comfort amid a lonely life on the American frontier.
As young men worked as farmhands, on railroads, or as miners, they looked to saloons as a social outlet. When people arrived at a saloon, they could talk to fellow travelers or locals, engage in a bit of business , and relax while having a drink.
Researcher Kelly Dixon found evidence to support the notion that saloons were more about collegiality than conflict. At former saloon sites in Virginia City, NV, Dixon found more bottles, smoking pipes, and game boards than bullets or signs of violence. Homesteaders also spent extended periods of time in isolation , often struggling "to keep body and soul together" through their work, but single men didn't have families to go home to at the end of a long day.
Saloon patrons may have also looked for companionship while there. As one of the first establishments to pop up in a frontier settlement, saloons served a variety of functions. They were gathering sites for drinking, socializing, and relaxing, and they often became the focal point of an entire camp or town. Locations lacking a church , for example, might see services held in the local saloon, which shut down drinking and gambling briefly out of respect for a visiting preacher.
Heltman held his first Presbyterian services in a saloon. Community gatherings, even local elections , could be held at saloons. Saloons served as information points, providing men with opportunities for work alongside news and gossip.
Saloons were trading posts and lodging sites, bringing together individuals from all walks of life as they entered and exited a town. To set up a saloon in some sites, like a mining camp, individuals only needed a tent , a few seats and tables, and some liquor. Once a settlement or town began to thrive, however, putting resources into a saloon was in the interest of the owner. This was especially true in towns along railroad lines , whereas saloons that popped up in mining camps were more susceptible to failure when the gold or silver gave out.
As towns grew, so did the number of saloons. When saloons became bigger, they moved into permanent structures and offered increasingly diverse forms of entertainment; gambling options increased and furnishings improved. Soon after its formal founding in , Denver, CO, had roughly 30 saloons. By , there were saloons located in the city. Saloons often began as nothing more than a piece of canvas spread across a wooden frame, essentially a tent under which men could drink, talk, and gamble.
As saloons became more permanent structures, they may have featured wooden floors and housed elaborate bars, but most still remained quite small with rustic decor and ambiance. Saloons in major cities like San Francisco and Seattle may have had chandeliers and mirrors , the likes of which are common in Hollywood's version of the Wild West, but most were much more austere. Location played a big factor in what types of decorations one might find in a saloon.
Building materials came from what was available nearby. A saloon in a prairie town might have sod walls adorned with spurs and saddles, while a saloon in the mountains was characterized by woodworking with animal bones, hides, and heads mounted throughout. The variability in saloon presentation could be striking. On the other hand, by the s , the White Elephant Saloon in Fort Worth was a two-story establishment that served "fresh fish, oysters, and wild game" alongside the "choice wines, liquors, and cigars.
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