Let’s begin with saloons. Aqua Vitae by Glen A. Mofford (2016, TouchWood Editions) describes the numerous saloons that once graced Victoria primarily downtown between 1851 and 1917. Not all drinking establishments were raunchy, but some, such as the Pony Saloon on Government Street, were more flagrant and rowdy than others. Assault and robbery were common in the back alleys, and at one point, someone died and the “body was disposed of in a most undignified manner,” along with its decimated skull, under the floorboards. It remains a cold case to this day, but may have had something to do with a red-haired lady.