Prior to the establishment of a bottling works
in Alamogordo, the citizens could only obtain soft drinks by rail from
El Paso, Texas, approximately 90 miles to the south–or by order from coastal
cities even farther away. Because the town was built in conjunction
with the establishment of the railroad, sodas from El Paso were probably
available from the earliest days of the community. Houck & Dieter,
an El Paso liquor dealer, was the first soda bottler to advertise in Alamogordo
newspapers (Sacramento Chief, April 15, 1899). Although the firm
only offered liquor in their 1899 ads, soft drinks were certainly available
as well. The firm's ads had disappeared by 1900. On August
2, 1900, Henry Pfaff, another El Paso liquor dealer, began advertising
in the Alamogordo News. Houck & Dieter, re-entered the competition
on October 4, 1903 but discontinued its promotions on April 30, 1904, shortly
after Pfaff opened a saloon in Alamogordo (see below). The well-established
competition apparently dissuaded Houck & Dieter. For a while
both companies shipped drinks (sodas and the more potent alcoholic variety)
to any who wished to place an order.
Houck & Dieter, El Paso's first soda bottler, was founded by Amos Houck and John Phillip Dieter on April 1, 1881, just a few weeks before the first railroad arrived in the previously isolated border town. The firm bottled sodas until 1912 when the soft drink segment merged with Purity Bottling and Manufacturing Co. (established 1906) to form Empire Bottling Works. Although Houck & Dieter continued to sell liquor after 1912, the firm collapsed with the instigation of Prohibition in Texas in 1918. Empire, however, prospered. The company went through several changes in name and management, distribution of its products became nationwide, and the plant continued to bottle Empire flavors until 1969 (El Paso Herald February 9, 1891; El Paso Times New Year's Day Edition, 1882, December 6, 1898; also cf. Lockhart 1997a and 1997b; 2000). Henry
Pfaff entered the soda and liquor trade in late 1898 when he took over
the bottling works that R. F. Johnson had established in 1891. He
continued to bottle and sell soft drinks until 1907. Pfaff was an
interesting character. He was born in Saxony, Germany, on September
8, 1862. He was educated in Dresden, Germany and went to Mexico in
1883 to engage in the coffee business. Three years later he migrated
to Abilene, Texas, and from there to El Paso in 1893. He was active
in real estate and managed R.
F. Johnson & Co. from 1895 until he acquired the plant and all
holdings in 1898 (Lockhart 1999:176-178; 2000).
Although Pfaff's advertisements had appeared
in earlier editions of the Alamogordo Newstouting beer, liquor, and Manitou
Mineral Water, the April 16, 1904 issue included a second ad with an appended
feature. The new section stated, "Family trade a specialty, all orders
will be filled promptly at Alamogordo at El Paso prices, freight added.
H. H. McWilliams, Manager." In the April 16 issue of the Cloudcroft
Silver Lining, Pfaff advertised as "Manufacturer of and Dealer in all kinds
of Soda Water." Pfaff, an adept businessman, saw opportunity in Alamogordo.
Because Charles B. Eddy, the primary founder of Alamogordo, was strongly
against intoxicants, he inserted a "liquor clause" in all deeds that denied
the right to sell alcoholic beverages in the town with the single exception
of Block 50. The Alamogordo Improvement Co. retained lots 1-4 on
Block 50 as the site for a saloon. The town's only saloon was accordingly
constructed on the corner of Tenth St. and Pennsylvania Ave. with the property
carefully under the control of the founding fathers. The south end
of the building was devoted to the saloon with a billiard parlor to the
north. A separate beer storage vault was behind the main building
to the east. The saloon was then rented or leased to outside operators.
The first operator, Col. J. F. Harvey, opened the Club House Saloon in
May 1899. Harvey managed the Alamogordo Hotel and sold wines, liquors,
and cigars in the saloon. In 1903, Pfaff successfully obtained the
liquor lease for the rapidly expanding town and, with McWilliams as his
manager, became Alamogordo's supplier of spirits (Gilbert 1990:49, 108;
Sholly 1971:25; Sanborn map, 1905; Alamogordo News April 16, 1904; Cloudcroft
Silver Lining April 16, 1904).
Although Pfaff's primary business was the sale of alcoholic beverages, the Alamogordo branch undoubtedly sold more soft drinks than the previous advertisements which required the thirsty party to place a long-distance order. Pfaff's place of business was probably quite successful. As well as operating the only saloon within the corporate limits of Alamogordo and being a purveyor of wholesale liquors and cigars, Pfaff ran the "Eating House" for train passengers during stopovers (Gilbert 1990:136). Little is known about McWilliams, although he obviously planned ahead; he purchased a funeral plot on February 14, 1901 (Funeral Records, Hamilton-O'Dell Funeral Home, Alamogordo). McWilliams continued to operate the Alamogordo branch until at least March 1907 and, by April (and probably much earlier), Pfaff had a branch in Cloudcroft (Alamogordo News March 23, 1907; Cloudcroft Silver Lining April 7, 1907). At some point after May 1907, Pfaff sold his El Paso business to Southwestern Liquor Co. [Link] and devoted his time to real estate sales. A. L. Longneckard, Southwestern's new manager, continued to distribute liquor and beer in El Paso but eliminated the bottling works and shut down the Alamogordo branch. Alamogordo was again without readily available sodas, although the railroad link still allowed drinks to be ordered from El Paso and beyond (Alamogordo News March 23, 1907; Lockhart 1999:178). Location Pfaff's saloon and billiard parlor attracted customers at the corner of Pennsylvania Ave. and Tenth St., close to the railroad depot. The building remained essentially unchanged until after 1930. At some point prior to 1942, the old building was razed and a newer structure erected. |
