Dogman
5th September 2015, 06:33 PM
Was watching the local news and saw a blurb that a name was mentioned that rang a huge bell from the past.
In my town, a town that has a major wild oil field past back in the day was huge on a local scale. All old oil field hands knew about Gladewater even into the at least 1980's or so. We were and kilgore were in the epicenter of the east texas oil boom, Honky tonks out of the yen yang and skulldarity was the order of the day.
There were two honky tonk strips one east of town and the major one was south on hwy 271.
One of the joints was owned by a guy named hawk shaw Hawkins that was the biggest, that had a whore house on the side, that was of course illegal, but what the hay this was Gladewater. He had two sons, Reggy and Rocky. Reggy was a grade above me but Rocky was in my class.
In the mid to late 70's the bible belt types finally started getting some control of the city politics along with changes in the county, state and probably nation.
The city in an effort to shut down the honky tonks, made a rule that only malt liquor could be sold after ? ? >9< << at night or something like that. And in general with increased pig control and state sweeps managed to start shutting down many of the bars.
But Hawkshaw figured out a loop hole by noticing that there were no rules about clubs 100 feet outside of the city limits and the county had nothing on the books on how to handle something like this.
So he and his son's opened up a place modeled after a couple of places that started showing up in austin, gambling was a free for all, good bands and it was open fire up that joint that was dam near totally open to the weather on a slope with dirt floors with not a dam thing level but the gaming tables, dice mainly but also a few other games along with pool in a room on the side, what would or could be called a small pole barn as the center but most was outside!
One thing I sure can remember is one of the pool tables on that slope was that it was level but at the front you the table was lower than normal and the the far end was higher than normal which made for very interesting shooting. Only one other bar I have been to was like that and that one was in bayou vista lousyanna called the hide a way right on bayou teche walking distance from where I lived in bayou vista.
But that is a whole nother story full of giggles and grins..!
There was a lion that they had, more of a cub but weighing more than me at the time just growing its mane that roamed free on the property.
Did I mention that this place was a total free for all, but amazingly well behaved?
Well one day I was partying hardy I forget the cats name, I have messed with it in the past like I have done with all my cats with no problems, but that day he decided to dance.
So we did!
Big cats are strong....Ask me how I know that...! {0}
He never hurt me, but my t-shirt and my pants as I can recall can not say the same....
The cat got out a few months later and the pigs killed it..
Eventually as all things good the law finally caught up with things and closed it and all the honky tonks down.
This is another news story but not the one that triggered this post...
http://www.cbs19.tv/story/29580431/gladewater-book-brings-family-and-friends-together
There is much more to this story, I just hit on a few high points of the crazy days
More maybe later.
And people wonder why I turned out the way I am today....
;D
Want to dance ?
Lmao
In my town, a town that has a major wild oil field past back in the day was huge on a local scale. All old oil field hands knew about Gladewater even into the at least 1980's or so. We were and kilgore were in the epicenter of the east texas oil boom, Honky tonks out of the yen yang and skulldarity was the order of the day.
There were two honky tonk strips one east of town and the major one was south on hwy 271.
One of the joints was owned by a guy named hawk shaw Hawkins that was the biggest, that had a whore house on the side, that was of course illegal, but what the hay this was Gladewater. He had two sons, Reggy and Rocky. Reggy was a grade above me but Rocky was in my class.
In the mid to late 70's the bible belt types finally started getting some control of the city politics along with changes in the county, state and probably nation.
The city in an effort to shut down the honky tonks, made a rule that only malt liquor could be sold after ? ? >9< << at night or something like that. And in general with increased pig control and state sweeps managed to start shutting down many of the bars.
But Hawkshaw figured out a loop hole by noticing that there were no rules about clubs 100 feet outside of the city limits and the county had nothing on the books on how to handle something like this.
So he and his son's opened up a place modeled after a couple of places that started showing up in austin, gambling was a free for all, good bands and it was open fire up that joint that was dam near totally open to the weather on a slope with dirt floors with not a dam thing level but the gaming tables, dice mainly but also a few other games along with pool in a room on the side, what would or could be called a small pole barn as the center but most was outside!
One thing I sure can remember is one of the pool tables on that slope was that it was level but at the front you the table was lower than normal and the the far end was higher than normal which made for very interesting shooting. Only one other bar I have been to was like that and that one was in bayou vista lousyanna called the hide a way right on bayou teche walking distance from where I lived in bayou vista.
But that is a whole nother story full of giggles and grins..!
There was a lion that they had, more of a cub but weighing more than me at the time just growing its mane that roamed free on the property.
Did I mention that this place was a total free for all, but amazingly well behaved?
Well one day I was partying hardy I forget the cats name, I have messed with it in the past like I have done with all my cats with no problems, but that day he decided to dance.
So we did!
Big cats are strong....Ask me how I know that...! {0}
He never hurt me, but my t-shirt and my pants as I can recall can not say the same....
The cat got out a few months later and the pigs killed it..
Eventually as all things good the law finally caught up with things and closed it and all the honky tonks down.
This is another news story but not the one that triggered this post...
http://www.cbs19.tv/story/29580431/gladewater-book-brings-family-and-friends-together
There is much more to this story, I just hit on a few high points of the crazy days
More maybe later.
And people wonder why I turned out the way I am today....
;D
Want to dance ?
Lmao