The Main Street Saloon
home of Choctaw Jack!

 

Brave the muck-filled streets of old downtown to visit the locally famous Main Street Saloon and experience the atmosphere of a turn of the century watering hole. The Main Street Saloon, owned and operated by Charles Spiess the son of a German immigrant, is a fairly respectable drinking establishment and gathering place for Dallas working men, members of the local German community, and sometimes slightly shady ladies.

The Saloon is home to Choctaw Jack, the last bear in the Dallas Zoo at City Park who, upon his untimely demise, was purchased and mounted by Mr. Spiess to grace the interior of his new drinking and gaming establishment. As a local celebrity of some notoriety Choctaw Jack draws many visitors to the saloon to view his ferocious countenance and cool off with a crisp Budweiser or Imperial Pale Ale, all the way from St. Louis. Not to be slighted beers from Dallas five local breweries and a variety of stronger beverages are available for the discerning palate along with a wide variety of cigars and tobacco products. Customers can pull up a seat at one of the tables provided and play a hand of cards or a round of dominoes. On some evenings they may enjoy the sounds of talented Miss Elisa Spiess on the piano or in a whistling solo.

About the building itself - Constructed in 1904 by D. B. McCall, this general store served the small community of Snow Hill, Texas, near McKinney. The "false front" rising above the pitched roof was a common feature in store buildings of the period.


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Site last updated 08/09/2004


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