One difference, perhaps, was that the saloons in Austin catered to some very influential clientele, given the fact that the Texas State Capitol was located in the city. The saloon district in Austin, Texas was a place called вЂњGuy Town.вЂќ And, the saloons in Guy Town were typical of those found in any city of similar size in the West during the mid to late 1800вЂ™s. And, after a haircut and shave, if these men just happened to find themselves having a few drinks at the bar, no one would be the wiser. The saloonвЂ™s management, by providing barber services, encouraged self-professed religious men with a respectable cover story of why theyвЂ™d been seen entering a saloon. Not the least of these odors was caused by vomit, deposited on the floor after drunken patrons of the saloon вЂњaired their paunches.вЂќ Likewise, instead of aВ jingling piano, it was probably just as common to see a barber chair in the corner of a saloon. Floors were often covered with sawdust, which absorbed everything from tobacco juice, blood, beer, and liquor, as well as holding down other displeasing odors associated with saloons of the time period. Until the Old West got a little more sophisticated in the late 1800вЂ™s, due primarily to the great wealth created by railroads, mining camps, and, cattle towns, most saloons were not large, not very ornate, nor were they very tidy. The problem is that itвЂ™s not always an accurate or typical portrayal of the way it really was, so let me point out a few things about the Old West you may not know. WeвЂ™ve watched this scene a hundred times, if weвЂ™ve seen it once. The poker game then ends in a shootout, with dead bodies strewn about the floor. The man then throws down a gold coin, and takes his bottle to one of the many gaming tables, and gets involved in a game of poker. As someone plays a piano in the corner, with dancing girls swirling around, the bartender takes outВ a clean bottle of bourbon, and fills a shot glass which is quickly consumed. In the movies weвЂ™re used to seeing a man push open the swinging doors of an ornately decorated and large clean saloon, belly up to the bar, and order a whiskey.

Images of the old west