Dan Allen (April 12, 1832 – April 26, 1884) was a

pioneer Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land. In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and dev ...

American

gambler Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three eleme ...

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

. He had great influence throughout the young city and was the long-time companion of Anna Wilson, the city's foremost

madam Madam (), or madame ( or ), is a polite and formal form of address for Woman, women in the English language, often contracted to ma'am (pronounced in American English and this way but also in British English). The term derives from the French ...

for almost 40 years.Bristow, D.L. (2001) ''A Dirty, Wicked Town: Tales of 19th Century Omaha.'' Caxton Press. p 210. Allen was influential throughout early Omaha.

About

Allen was born in

Jefferson County, New York Jefferson County is a county on the northern border of the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 116,721. Its county seat is Watertown. The county is named after Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United Stat ...

, the son of Lyman Allen and Anna Duel, and lived in

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria ...

for some time before coming to Omaha. He arrived in Omaha in 1866, and opened a gambling house in

Downtown Omaha Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, U.S. state of Nebraska. The boundaries are Omaha, Nebraska, Omaha's 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and ...

in 1878. It is believed that Dan met Anna Wilson in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, eventually persuading her to come to Omaha with him. Omaha was known as a "wide-open" city for its first 50 years, with explicit

prostitution Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...

in the

Burnt District The Burnt District was the original red light district in Omaha, Nebraska in the late 19th century. The area was located east of Creighton University from Douglas Street six blocks north to Cass Street and from the Missouri River west to Sixteenth ...

and

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three el ...

in the Sporting District, both located in

. Allen ran one of the most infamous

saloons Saloon may refer to: Buildings and businesses * One of the bars in a traditional British pub * An alternative name for a bar (establishment) * Western saloon, a historical style of American bar * The Saloon, a bar and music venue in San Francisc ...

and

houses in Omaha from the 1860s through the 1870s on the second floor of the city's

Pioneer Block Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land. In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and dev ...

. On the first floor of the building, Allen ran a

pawnshop A pawnbroker is an individual or business (pawnshop or pawn shop) that offers secured loans to people, with items of personal property used as collateral. The items having been ''pawned'' to the broker are themselves called ''pledges'' or ...

; on the second, a gambling hall. The two enterprises worked in sync: if players were out of money they could lower watches, diamonds or other valuables on a

dumbwaiter A dumbwaiter is a small freight elevator or lift intended to carry food. Dumbwaiters found within modern structures, including both commercial, public and private buildings, are often connected between multiple floors. When installed in restaur ...

down to the

pawnbroker A pawnbroker is an individual or business (pawnshop or pawn shop) that offers secured loans to people, with items of personal property used as collateral. The items having been ''pawned'' to the broker are themselves called ''pledges'' or ...

, who in turn would hoist the equivalent value in money back to the players. In a contemporary account from 1880 Allen was alleged to have run

Keno Keno is a lottery-like gambling game often played at modern casinos, and also offered as a game in some lotteries. Players wager by choosing numbers ranging from 1 through (usually) 80. After all players make their wagers, 20 numbers (some va ...

and

poker Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game w ...

rooms in the open, with little or no resistance from

local police Municipal police, city police, or local police are law enforcement agencies that are under the control of local government. This includes the municipal government, where it is the smallest administrative subdivision. They receive funding ...

or politicians.

Personal life

Allen had a reputation as an honest man, and was considered well-matched with Anna Wilson, his romantic interest throughout his life. The couple was reputed to help out the needy whenever possible. In a case involving the theft of $10,000 worth of jewelry from Wilson, Allen told the accused thief that if he relinquished the items he would spare his life. The thief did and ended up going to jail instead.Bristow, D.L. (2001) ''A Dirty, Wicked Town: Tales of 19th Century Omaha.'' Caxton Press. p 211. When Allen died in 1884 Wilson spent considerable money keeping his grave adorned with fresh flowers for the rest of her life. They were buried together in Omaha's Prospect Hill Cemetery under a concrete slab and upright columns.Prospect Hill Cemetery
City of Omaha Landmarks Heritage Preservation Commission. Retrieved 2/2/08.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Dan 1832 births 1884 deaths American gamblers People from Omaha, Nebraska People from Peoria, Illinois Burials at Prospect Hill Cemetery (North Omaha, Nebraska) Sporting District, Omaha Crime in Omaha, Nebraska

About

Personal life

See also

References