This article possibly contains original research .(December 2021) |
Last Chance Saloon was a popular name of a type of bar in the United States that began to appear in the 19th century as an early expression of border economics. Saloons situated near areas where alcohol was not easily obtainable frequently took the name as a literal indication to customers that this was their final opportunity to imbibe before progressing to an area where obtaining, selling or drinking alcoholic drinks was prohibited. The phrase "last chance saloon" also has common British metaphorical use, based upon this historical context.
While the term refers to actual places that existed, it does not refer to a singular place. Many saloons on the border of dry areas incorporated the phrase "last chance" into their name. Of the many saloons so named, two have found particular notoriety, to the extent that they may be sometimes be referred to today with a definite article, as in "The Last Chance Saloon".
The first is one in Caldwell, Kansas. Dating from 1869, it was the last place travellers could legally buy liquor before moving into Indian territory, where alcohol was banned. It gained prominence during an incident in 1874, when a posse from Caldwell burned down the building, after erroneously believing that the objects of their search were inside. Because of this fire, it does not exist today, but the building's site is currently marked by the State of Kansas as a place of historical interest. [1]
The second is the "Heinold's First and Last Chance" in Oakland, California. It was opened in 1883. Located on the docks of Oakland, it would have been the last chance for drinkers to imbibe before falling under the jurisdiction of their boat's captain. While it was not a legally dry area, a boat could often be practically dry. Even if a captain chose to allow alcohol, it would have been relatively scarce and usually tightly regulated—if the boat's hold had space for it at all. Thus, Heinold's saloon served precisely the same practical function as the Caldwell example. It was made arguably more famous because noted American author Jack London was an irregular patron. When in Oakland, London drank there often, gleaning insight from the tales of world-traveling sailors. [2] Not only is the saloon commemorated by name in London's works, it is recognized by the California State historical marker program, the National Literary Landmark scheme, and the National Register of Historic Places. Nevertheless, it continues as a working business, maintained privately for the benefit of locals and tourists.
Technically, both of these businesses were also signed as "First Chance" saloons, as the proprietors wanted to market their business for travellers, irrespective of their customers' direction of travel. [3]
The name persists in the naming of modern bars, though it is not always associated with the original meaning. Bars nowhere close to a dry county are sometimes named "Last Chance Saloon" as an homage to the earlier establishments. There are (First and) Last Chance Saloons in the phone books of almost every American state. [4]
In everyday speech, by speakers of British English, the term has been adopted to describe a situation beyond which hope or good fortune will greatly diminish.
"This is the last chance saloon. If we again fail to improve the performance of our schools I believe it is time to look at the reintroduction of selection at the age of 13, to reintroduce grammar schools which were the great escape route for the working class in post-war Britain."
— David Frost of the British Chambers of Commerce [5]
"At least, that's the way it had been until Monty arrived, although I have to admit we all thought: Here we go again. We've heard it all before. But he and everybody else knew very well that this had to be the last stand. We were definitely in the Last Chance Saloon."
— Quote from World War 2 diary extract [6]
Because of its infrequent use in relation to alcohol or bars, "last chance saloon" is usually employed as a paralogical metaphor.
The expression often lends itself to newspaper headlines, as it describes a complex situation in a relatively scant number of letters. Home Office minister David Mellor in a December 1989 television interview asserted: "I do believe the press – the popular press – is drinking in the Last Chance Saloon". [7] The ethics of the British press were then being scrutinized by the Calcutt Committee and the phrase caught on. [7] In another example, John Major's 1995 attempt to stave off critics by calling for a Conservative Party leadership election was famously headlined in The Independent as "John Major's Last Chance Saloon" [8] —but there are many others. [9]
A subset of the general use for the term is its use among British automotive journalists. Because saloon has a uniquely British automotive meaning, applying the phrase "last chance saloon" to a story about cars is to use a pun. Thus, it is common to see the phrase applied to the automotive industry. For example, the launch of the Rover 75 was humorously described by the then BMW owners as "Rover's Last Chance Saloon", and Cerberus' 2007 acquisition of Chrysler has been called that car manufacturer's "last chance saloon". [10]
The phrase has a specialized use in British sport. In youth sport, it specifically defines a qualifying round of competition—the "Last Chance Saloon Round" — comprising students from schools who don't have a mechanism in place to determine a winner at the local level. [11] Because a Last Chance Saloon Round does not connote anything substandard about a participants' skills, but merely the way in which their school participates in regional tournaments, this usage is slightly different from how it is used in Britain to describe professional sport. Sports commentators and fans will often use the phrase in conjunction with professional or Olympic athletics to speak of a waning team or player's last opportunity to make good on their talents. [12] [13]
Tombstone is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, founded in 1879 by prospector Ed Schieffelin in what was then Pima County, Arizona Territory. It became one of the last boomtowns in the American frontier. The town grew significantly into the mid-1880s as the local mines produced $40 to $85 million in silver bullion, the largest productive silver district in Arizona. Its population grew from 100 to around 14,000 in less than seven years. It is best known as the site of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and presently draws most of its revenue from tourism.
A speakeasy, also called a beer flat or blind pig or blind tiger, was an illicit establishment that sold alcoholic beverages. The term may also refer to a retro style bar that replicates aspects of historical speakeasies.
John HenryHolliday, better known as Doc Holliday, was an American dentist, gambler, and gunfighter who was a close friend and associate of lawman Wyatt Earp. Holliday is best known for his role in the events surrounding and his participation in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. He developed a reputation as having killed more than a dozen men in various altercations, but modern researchers have concluded that, contrary to popular myth-making, Holliday killed only one to three men. Holliday's colorful life and character have been depicted in many books and portrayed by well-known actors in numerous movies and television series.
Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp was an American lawman in the American West, including Dodge City, Deadwood, and Tombstone. Earp was involved in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, during which lawmen killed three outlaw Cochise County Cowboys. While Wyatt is often depicted as the key figure in the shootout, his brother Virgil was both Deputy U.S. Marshal and Tombstone City Marshal that day and had considerably more experience in law enforcement as a sheriff, constable, and marshal than did Wyatt. Virgil made the decision to enforce a city ordinance prohibiting carrying weapons in town and to disarm the Cowboys. Wyatt was only a temporary assistant marshal to his brother.
Virgil Walter Earp was an American lawman. He was both deputy U.S. Marshal and City Marshal of Tombstone, Arizona, when he led his younger brothers Wyatt and Morgan, and Doc Holliday, in a confrontation with outlaw Cowboys at the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral on October 26, 1881. They killed brothers Tom and Frank McLaury and Billy Clanton. All three Earp brothers had been the target of repeated death threats made by the Cowboys who were upset by the Earps' interference in their illegal activities. All four lawmen were charged with murder by Ike Clanton, who had run from the gunfight. During a month-long preliminary hearing, Judge Wells Spicer exonerated the men, concluding they had been performing their duty.
Gunfighters, also called gunslingers or in the late 19th and early 20th century gunmen, were individuals in the American Old West who gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and participated in shootouts. Today, the term "gunslinger" is more or less used to denote someone who is quick on the draw with a handgun, but this can also refer to those armed with rifles and shotguns. The gunfighter is also one of the most popular characters in the Western genre and has appeared in associated films, television shows, video games, and literature.
The Bluetones are an English indie rock band, formed in Hounslow, Greater London, in 1993. The band's members are Mark Morriss on vocals, Adam Devlin on guitar, Mark's brother Scott Morriss on bass guitar, and Eds Chesters on drums. A fifth member, Richard Payne, came on board between 1998 and 2002. The band was originally named "The Bottlegarden".
The Triumph 2000 is a mid-sized, rear wheel drive automobile which was produced in Coventry by the Triumph Motor Company between 1963 and 1977. It was introduced on 15 October 1963. It was styled by Giovanni Michelotti.
The Rover P6 series is a saloon car produced by Rover and subsequently British Leyland from 1963 to 1977 in Solihull, West Midlands, England, UK.
The Gunfighters is the eighth serial of the third season in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 30 April to 21 May 1966.
Fast draw, also known as quick draw, is the ability to quickly draw a handgun and accurately fire it upon a target in the process. This skill was made popular by romanticized depictions of gunslingers in the Western genre, which in turn were inspired by famous historical gunfights in the American Old West.
The Jubjub bird is a dangerous creature mentioned in Lewis Carroll's nonsense poems "Jabberwocky" (1871) and "The Hunting of the Snark" (1876).
A Western saloon is a kind of bar particular to the Old West. Saloons served customers such as fur trappers, cowboys, soldiers, lumberjacks, businessmen, lawmen, outlaws, miners, and gamblers. A saloon might also be known as a "watering trough, bughouse, shebang, cantina, grogshop, and gin mill". The first saloon was established at Brown's Hole, Wyoming, in 1822, to serve fur trappers.
Return to the Last Chance Saloon is the second studio album by English rock band The Bluetones, released on 9 March 1998. The album is currently certified Gold by the BPI. Its offspring singles were "Solomon Bites the Worm", "If...", "Sleazy Bed Track" and "4-Day Weekend".
Jaguar Land Rover Automotive PLC is the holding company of Jaguar Land Rover, also known as JLR, and is a British multinational automobile manufacturer which produces luxury vehicles and SUV and has its head office in Whitley, Coventry, United Kingdom. The principal activity of Jaguar Land Rover is the design, development, manufacture and sale of vehicles bearing the Jaguar and Land Rover marques.
The Prohibition era was the period from 1920 to 1933 when the United States prohibited the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages. The alcohol industry was curtailed by a succession of state legislatures, and Prohibition was formally introduced nationwide under the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified on January 16, 1919. Prohibition ended with the ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment, which repealed the Eighteenth Amendment on December 5, 1933.
Heinold's First and Last Chance is a waterfront saloon opened by John (Johnny) M. Heinold in 1883 on Jack London Square in Oakland, California, United States. The name "First and Last Chance" refers to the time in which for many sailors, the pub was the first and last chance to drink alcohol heavily before or after a long voyage.
The Cochise County Cowboys is the modern name for a loosely associated group of outlaws living in Pima and Cochise County, Arizona in the late 19th century. The term "cowboy", as opposed to "cowhand," had only begun to come into wider usage during the 1870s. In that place and time, "cowboy" was synonymous with "cattle rustler". Such thieves frequently rode across the border into Mexico and stole cattle from Mexican ranches that they then drove back across the border to sell in the United States. Some modern writers consider them to be an early form of organized crime in America.
George Emory Goodfellow was a physician and naturalist in the 19th- and early 20th-century American Old West who developed a reputation as the United States' foremost expert in treating gunshot wounds. As a medical practitioner in Tombstone, Arizona Territory, Goodfellow treated numerous bullet wounds to both lawmen and outlaws. He recorded several significant medical firsts throughout his career, including performing the first documented laparotomy for treating an abdominal gunshot wound and the first perineal prostatectomy to remove an enlarged prostate. He also pioneered the use of spinal anesthesia and sterile techniques in treating gunshot wounds and is regarded as the first civilian trauma surgeon.