Site of The Dawson Saloon
Odessa, Ector County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Frontier business of S.T. (TOL) and E.F. (LISH) Dawson, brothers. Lish Dawson, 1891-92 Sheriff of Ector County, had a barber chair in the Saloon, and helped tend bar. Liquor was in 40-gallon barrels. Ice for drinks was hauled from great lakes by Texas & Pacific Railroad. To avoid township restriction on liquor sales, Dawson moved saloon to the street; Tol was brought to trial for this. "White Ribboners"--Clubwomen opposed saloons. In the face Lish Dawson lost his office, and the business was closed.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
On the raw West Texas frontier, brothers Tol and Lish Dawson ran a saloon where liquor came in forty-gallon barrels and ice for drinks was hauled in by the Texas & Pacific Railroad. Lish served as Ector County sheriff in 1891–92 while also keeping a barber chair and tending bar. When temperance-minded clubwomen — the "White Ribboners" — pushed back against saloons, the Dawsons' business ran afoul of township liquor rules, and both Lish's office and the saloon were lost.
Why it matters
The little drama of the Dawson Saloon captures the frontier collision between rough boomtown commerce and the rising temperance movement that women led across America.
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Related people
- · S.T. "Tol" Dawson
- · E.F. "Lish" Dawson
Themes & tags
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