Prior to the Great Fire of 1883...

Prior to the great fire, most buildings north of this corner building on North Jackson Street and east of this building on West A Street were wood dwelling personal homes of James Hardie, Mr. Striplin had a boarding house, Mrs. Regina Tate, Peter Willot had a home and the first bowling alley in town, Cornelius Lunney had property here, Miss MD Stone had a millinary store and James Frizell and wife, parents of Maud and Ed? Dawson, had a home on this corner. All were lost in the fire and only Con Lunney decided to rebuild.

Read the article here of a recollection from the fire printed in the Centennial Edition of the Dixon Tribune October of 1968...

The building we know now was built in 1886 as a saloon.

It had many owners and many different saloon names...even though most only knew it as the Fly Trap because earlier walking tours only mentioned this one name.

Cornelius "Con" Lunney, originally lived in Vallejo, and owned a wood business with his brother. After the business was sold he moved to Dixon in 1878 and ran a saloon selling Philadelphia Beer and Pioneer Soda both from Vallejo, on the west side of Main Street between B and C Streets until 1886. It was across from the Barbary Coast, where there were houses of prostitution, opium dens, many fights and deaths so he decides to move to this corner. He purchased part of this lot from Peter Willot in July of 1883 and the rest of this lot also from Peter Willot on 9/4/1883, before the fire. He was a tax exempt volunteer fireman.

From 1885 - 2/8/1886 it is on the delinquent tax list along with the other lots he then owns from this corner north along Jackson Street to the jail ...(west 1/4 of lots 13-16, block 1, Dickson's Addition to Dixon) along with his personal property.

He was able to start construction of this new saloon on May 21, 1886 and it is finished and almost ready for occupancy June 11, 1886.

On 10/9/1886-2/19/1887 it is known as the Philadelphia Brewing Depot under F. Deininger, but Con. Lunney is in charge.

On 9/15/1893, Lunney renames it for himself...Con's Saloon. It has a ten pin bowling alley, shooting gallery, shuffle board, a good reading room and a private club room in connection with his saloon.

1/8/?? P.B. Frazier has sold the building and lot now occupied by Con. Lunney, to J.W. Toet, lately from the East, who intends to open a hardware and tin shop. The price paid for the property was $1800. (is this First Street not here probably?)

C. Keuerleber purchases the saloon sometime in 1895 then on 9/13/1895 he sells the saloon to J.W. Jamison from Davisville and he renames the saloon Little Palace.

On 6/23/1899 there is an ad in the Dixon Tribune...For Tanglefoot to to The Fly-Trap Saloon and CE Harlan is the proprietor. He offers a good stock of the choicest wines, liquors and cigars and says good order is maintained.

7/5/99 C. E. Harlan and Hugh Mankey also made application to be allowed to carry on the saloon business on the corner of Jackson and A streets. The necessary signers were furnished, being businessmen and property owners in the block. Also the bond of $500 accompanied the petition with John McDermott and S. Brinkerhoff being sureties. Permission to carry on the saloon business was granted to Harlan and Mankey and also on motion the bond is approved and accepted.

Con Lunney dies 4/10/1903. His obituary says the name of the saloon at that time was the Creamerie Saloon.

1904/10/14

Saloon Men in Trouble: A special meeting of the Board of Trustees was held on Monday evening to investigate charges which had been preferred by the Revs. F. Hope and W. de L.Kingsbury against the firm of McDermott & Klemenchick, of the Creamery saloon. Mayor J.F. Cowden presided and all the other trustees were present. ( This was a charge made by the Revs. against the Creamery saloon for selling beer to minor girls and requested that the license be revoked.)

In November of 1904, Per the Sacramento Bee "The Town Trustees met last evening in a special session to pass upon the application by Andrew Anderson for a license to conduct the saloon recently occupied by McDermott and Clemenchick and who had their license revoked for selling beer to little girls". They consider closing all the saloons in town as well because many taxpayers are against them.

Sometime between 1903 and 1905, John McDermott, purchases the building and buildings to the north and the west of the saloon, making this the 3rd corner of North Jackson Street and West A Street that he owns. Later he will purchase the lot across the street so that he will own almost all the property in this area except the lumber yard site. He was an apprentice for John Casey in his blacksmith shop for many years prior to opening his own with partner Landsburg on the NW corner of the triangle lot. He was also a Town Trustee for many years.

The past issues that caused the closure of the saloon were with the proprietors at no fault of McDermott's, however he had to endure the hardships of no money for the lease. He petitions the Town Trustees May 5, 1906 and they vote to allow him to reopen. There is another article from the Sacramento Bee 5/3/1906 that explains more and name is The Fly-Trap

06/09/1906

---A water trough has been placed outside the Creamery saloon and will be maintained at the expense of the proprietor, John McDermott.

(The patrons of the saloon many times, jump into the trough and come back inside, so the floor is always wet. In the archive photo you can see they hang towels on the bar and the wet floor)

1907/08/01

August, 1907:

---The Town Board have men at work on the hitching rack which is being put up on the lots belonging to Mrs. Mayes and John McDermott, back of Johnson & Son's and L. Gottheimer's stores.The lots are being cleared of all rubbish and a double rack put in which will accommodate all who wish to tie their teams,

while transacting business. As the lots are well shaded by trees, and conveniently located, they will make a very desirable place for a rack.

03/01/1910

THIEVES AGAIN AT WORK. Residence of Mrs. O.C. Schulze Robbed in Broad Daylight of Diamonds and Jewelry Valued at $1000.

John McDermott's Saloon Also Robbed.

On the Sanborn fire map of 1907, the corner is no longer listed as a saloon and becomes listed as a dwelling.

STILL NEED TO VERIFY AND FIX THIS INFO!!!!!

John McDermott still owns all the buildings north and west of the corner until his death 3/31/1916, when the property transferred into the estate of his widow, son Louis, daughter Josephine and her son, Jack. For many years, the estate leased all the property John owned at this corner and the other corners of A and Jackson Street.

William Pedrick, ran a creamery in the McDermott building for 10-20 years after he moved from his creamery on the NE corner of North First and C Street per his obituary.

06/01/1919

Because the Dixon Laundry requires more room, J.A. Kerr is going to move his poultry and egg business into the-

McDermott building formerly used for a cheese factory.

Kerr was another Town Trustee and former Mayor.

9/1/1926 The house of Tom Pedrick has been moved from the ranch southeast of town to a lot on the south side of A street on the west side of town, where it is being made ready for occupancy by the Pedricks.

09/01/1936

J.A. Kerr and son are now located in the Dixon Inn room formerly occupied by the Japanese restaurant. The place theyoccupied for so many years is the property of the McDermott Estate. Coleman Kerr will continue his sheep and wool buying. This summer he aided in the purchase of 4,000 sheep for Imperial valley winter feeders. The sheep are nowfeeding north of Sacramento until late fall.

8/1/45 Britton & Nelson open their Dixon Tire Service on Monday in the former J.A. Kerr feed supplies building at the corner of A and Jackson streets.

In 1955, It housed the The Dixon Laundromat and later a tire recapping business.

It has also been home to Sweet's Cafe, The Firehouse Bistro, Christina Smith opened a massage and spa named "The Studio"

? moves in and now it is Nino's Barbershop

The Building becomes more than a saloon...