Jersey Lily Saloon
Langtry, Val Verde County, Texas
Marker Inscription
1882-1903 "Law West of the Pecos" Courtroom. Named for Judge Bean's idol, actress Lillie Langtry. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1965.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
From 1882 to 1903 this saloon doubled as the courtroom of Judge Roy Bean, the self-styled "Law West of the Pecos," who dispensed rough-and-ready justice in remote Langtry. Bean named the place the Jersey Lily after his idol, the celebrated English actress Lillie Langtry. The saloon-courtroom became one of the enduring emblems of frontier Texas legend.
Why it matters
Roy Bean's saloon courtroom is a defining symbol of frontier justice in the American West, where law was improvised at the edge of settlement and folklore quickly outgrew fact.
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Related people
- · Judge Roy Bean
- · Lillie Langtry
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Law West of The Pecos
Langtry, TX
In this dusty building beside the Rio Grande, Judge Roy Bean dispensed his own brand of justice as the self-styled "Law West of the Pecos," holding court between pouring drinks and consulting a single 1879 statute book he rarely opened. Trials spilled onto the porch, drunks were chained to mesquite trees, and fines went straight into the judge's pocket. His notoriety peaked in 1896 when he staged a banned heavyweight title fight on a Rio Grande sandbar to outwit the Texas Rangers—and he named his saloon-courtroom the "Jersey Lilly" for an English actress he adored but never met.
Langtry
Langtry, TX
Langtry sprang up in 1882 as a water stop for the Southern Pacific's steam locomotives, built on land deeded by the Torres family and named most likely for a railroad crew boss. It gained lasting fame through saloonkeeper Roy Bean, the self-styled "Law West of the Pecos," who so admired British actress Lillie Langtry that legend tied her name to the town she eventually visited. Ranchers, a rock-crushing plant, and even tuberculosis patients seeking dry air passed through before a 1920s rail rerouting left it a quiet tourist stop.
William H. Dodd
Langtry, TX
English-born William H. Dodd came to remote Val Verde County by 1894 and put down deep roots, running a ranch, a general store, and the local post office, and adding a boarding house with his wife Lula. Over four decades he filled nearly every civic role the tiny community of Langtry could offer, from justice of the peace to county commissioner, while Lula organized the town's festivals. He is also remembered for quietly supplying arms and goods to Mexican revolutionaries across the nearby border.
The Torres Family
Langtry, TX
In the 1870s and 80s brothers Cesario, Bernardo, and Juan Torres won prominence in West Texas for their irrigation work, and Bernardo's Val Verde County land was chosen as the route of the Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio railroad. After his death Cesario built the 7D Ranch and gave land for the rail line and depot. His son J.P. Torres, reportedly Langtry's first permanent resident, became Val Verde County's first Hispanic elected official, alternating as justice of the peace with his rival, the legendary Roy Bean.