By PATRICIA JONES
The Slagle Building in Dobby’s Frontier Town holds the tools of three professions: barber, dentist, and doctor. On the front of the building is an antique barber pole, and when you step inside, you’ll be confused by whether you are looking at the dentist’s office or the barbershop.
Barbers in frontier towns did a lot more than give haircuts! Barbers who immigrated from Europe had been practicing medicine and dentistry, so they brought those skills with them. The barber might have to remove bullets, set broken bones, or pull teeth. As the town grew, people with specialized skills took over the medical and dental tasks.
The barber’s primary function was, of course, making sure their customers got cleaned up. Men received a close shave and a washed and cut head of hair. Many barbers also had tanks or bath houses.
A barber softened a man’s whiskers with a steaming hot towel, then soaped them and used a straight-edge razor for the shave. The razor was expensive and had to be kept sharp using a strop. Men were conscious of the latest styles in facial hair, and they changed often. The barber might be trimming sideburns, goatees, muttonchops, or a variety of mustaches. Men wore their hair short and had frequent haircuts, and the neck had to be shaved as well.
You’ll notice the shaving mugs on the shelves. Men often got infections from their shaves, probably because the razor wasn’t kept clean. But since they didn’t know what caused the rashes or infections, barbers began offering personal shaving mugs for their regular customers.
The barbershop was not only a place to clean up, but men spent hours there catching up on world and area news. Barbers not only had newspapers, they heard all the local gossip. Besides news, men might find out where to buy fresh clothes, get laundry done, eat dinner, or rent a room.
Since dental hygiene wasn’t common, the barber in most towns had to extract rotten teeth as well. Eventually dentists moved into frontier communities to offer their services.
Much of the dental equipment, drills, tooth molds, etc., were purchased by Dobby at an antique auction in Spencer, Nebraska. This includes the foot-powered motor that was used to grind teeth. The tools and teeth in the drawers are from a dentist in Gering. The dental chair belonged to Dr. Slagle, who practiced dentistry and medicine in Alliance in the early part of the twentieth century. A kerosene-heated pressure cooker was used to make dentures.
This room also contains a bandage wrapper. During World War II, the Red Cross held parties to tear sheets into bandages, then wrapped them and sent them to our soldiers.
Dobby’s Frontier Town is located at 320 East 25th Street/ Nance Road, Alliance. The town is open 10-6 daily for self-guided tours. Donations are appreciated and much needed for repairs after our recent hail and windstorm.