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Rating: 
Summary: THESE BARS WERE MADE FOR DRINKING
Review:
What did every town in the Old West have at least one of and more often several? Churches, shops? You knew all along - saloons. When a town was settled a saloon was usually the first building to go up. Now, it's not that all were hard drinkers (although many were), but a saloon served as much more than a bar. It was a gathering place, a makeshift meeting hall and, if you watch TV's "Deadwood," you learn it was also used as a courtroom.
True, they were also the scenes of brawls and gunfights. This territory was called the "Wild West" for good reason. Nonetheless, these saloons or watering holes, as they were sometimes called, are very much a part of our western history.
A past President of the Western Writers of America, Leon Claire Metz, has said, "Without saloons, the Wild West would have been dull, essentially unrecognizable. Yet the saloon story, until now, has never been told with such clarifying candor. If you understand saloons, you will understand the West: why it was Wild, why it was great, and why it will always be remembered."
Reading "Legendary Watering Holes" is a major step in understanding the West. The authors focus on four of the most famous (or infamous) saloons in Texas, shedding light on their owners, the entertainment, and even the liquor that was served. Accompanied by vintage photos, each saloon is described from the day it opened until its swinging doors were closed forever.
Historians and Western buffs will find much to relish in this well researched volume.
- Gail Cooke
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