Season: 1 \ Episodes: 2-3
In these episodes, host Jody Slaughter investigates the life of Pinkie Roden, who built a West Texas bootlegging empire in Prohibition that lasted all the way into modern times. From moonshiner to political influencer, Pinkie's story is a blend of daring escapades, high-stakes chases, and a relentless pursuit of fortune. Seldom talked about today, Pinkie's mark is all over West Texas, if you know where to look.
Pinkie's Liquor Store. Brady, Texas.
Texas Historical Commission. [Historic Property, Photograph 4636-03], photograph, Date Unknown; University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Historical Commission.
PART 1:
Cold Open: We set the scene in Ector County, Texas, on May 21, 1951. A state liquor agent hides in a cornfield, eyes fixed on the back of Pinkie’s Liquor Store—a beacon of neon pink glowing in the vast, dry landscape. This isn’t your average liquor store; it's a hub of illicit activity, sitting just 20 miles from any town, strategically positioned on the border of a dry zone where liquor is outlawed. Enter Roy Maxey, a seasoned runner, navigating the treacherous world of bootlegging.
Chapter 1: Getting a Taste
Early Life: Thomas Watson Roden, later known as Pinkie, was born on March 28, 1911, in Chalk Mountain, Texas. With bright orange hair and freckles, he quickly earned the nickname "Pinkie."
Prohibition Era: Growing up in Somerville County, surrounded by moonshine operations, Pinkie’s early encounters with the bootlegging world began while working at a hotel in Glen Rose.
Leaving Glen Rose: Various stories about why Pinkie left Glen Rose as a teen, leading him to Fort Worth where he delved deeper into bootlegging.
Early Career: Pinkie’s rise in the bootlegging world in Sweetwater during the late 1920s.
Economic Collapse: The impact of the Great Depression on Texas and Pinkie’s operations.
First Arrest: Pinkie’s arrest, conviction, and subsequent pardon by Governor Ma Ferguson.
Post-Prohibition: Navigating the post-Prohibition era and establishing new bootlegging routes across West Texas.
Big Spring: Pinkie’s initial successes and setbacks in Big Spring, including the challenges of a dry referendum.
Chapter 2: Odessa
Odessa: Moving to Odessa and leveraging the city’s burgeoning oil boom to expand his bootlegging empire.
Farm Store: Establishing the infamous Farm Store in Ector County, equipped with advanced warning systems and surrounded by an 8-foot wall.
Bootlegging Operations: Detailed description of Pinkie’s sophisticated distribution network, decoy tactics, and methods for avoiding law enforcement.
Chapter 3: Taking their Shot
Investigations: The grand jury investigations in Lubbock and Amarillo, spearheaded by District Attorney Waggoner Carr.
House Crime Investigating Committee: Subpoenas, hearings, and Pinkie’s strategic testimony before the committee.
Corporate Structure: Insight into Pinkie’s complex financial arrangements and how they shielded him from legal repercussions.
PART 2:
Cold Open: Roy Maxey speeds east on a dirt Farm to Market road towards the tiny community of Sands, Texas. His 1951 Lincoln, with the back seat removed, is loaded with cases of whiskey and beer. After evading the liquor control agents staking out Pinkie's Farm Store, Roy pulls into the gravel driveway of his cousin, Samuel Riley. Amidst family chatter and a house full of children, Roy proposes a job opportunity with Pinkie's bootlegging operation, leading to a spontaneous trip to Lubbock.
Chapter 4: The Wizard of West Texas
Political Influence: Pinkie dives deeper into politics, founding the Texas Package Stores Association and becoming a key figure in Austin’s legislative scene. Along with Sidney Siegel of Dallas and James Leggett Jr. of Fort Worth, Pinkie forms a powerful legislative committee known as the “Three Musketeers.”
Legislative Impact: Pinkie personally writes significant portions of Texas liquor laws, influencing package store legislation and local option elections. His most notable achievement includes a 1971 compromise allowing "liquor by the drink" in local jurisdictions, with all liquor purchases routed through local package stores.
Social Tactics: Pinkie wines and dines legislators, mastering the political game and ensuring laws favor his operations. His ability to navigate and manipulate political landscapes solidifies his power.
The Strip: Establishing a highly profitable yet tightly controlled series of liquor stores known as The Strip, notorious for its high prices and strict competition enforcement.
Federal Indictment: In 1976, a federal grand jury indicts several Strip stores, including Pinkie’s, for illegal price fixing. Pinkie, not listed as an owner or officer, avoids direct charges but faces increased scrutiny.
Chapter 5: Impact
Abilene: Pinkie’s strategic efforts to control liquor sales, including orchestrating local elections and utilizing legislative loopholes culminate in the creation of his own city
Chapter 6: The Golden Rooster
The Inn of the Golden West: Pinkie renovates the Lincoln Hotel in Odessa into a luxurious club featuring illegal gambling and high-stakes poker games. The Golden Rooster becomes a hotspot for professional poker players and celebrities.
Local Tolerance: Despite occasional raids, Pinkie’s operations continue with the tacit approval of local authorities, ensuring his gambling and bootlegging activities thrive.
Chapter 7: Bringing Home the Bacon
University and Hospital Efforts: Pinkie’s advocacy for the University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) and efforts to modernize Medical Center Hospital in Odessa. His political acumen secures necessary funding and legislative approval, bringing higher education and advanced medical facilities to West Texas.
Water Rights: Pinkie’s involvement in securing a reservoir project to provide water for West Texas, overcoming opposition from downstream developers and ensuring long-term regional growth.
Chapter 8: Riding Off Into the Sunset
Family Contributions: Pinkie’s support for his siblings’ education and careers, highlighting notable achievements in medicine, business, and engineering.
Later Years: As the bootlegging business fades, Pinkie focuses on civic projects and enjoys life at his Madera Springs ranch. Despite declining health, he remains a key figure in West Texas until his death in 1989.
Cold Open 2: Roy Maxey, running late for his liquor delivery and without headlights, runs a stop sign colliding with a car to devastating consequences.
Epilogue: The tragic car accident involving Roy Maxey near Tahoka, resulting in the deaths of 5 people and the orphaning of 12 children and highlighting the human cost of Pinkie’s bootlegging operations. The long-term consequences for the affected families are explored, offering a sobering counterpoint to Pinkie’s otherwise celebrated legacy.
Closing: Thank you for tuning in to the WTX Podcast. If you enjoyed these episodes, be sure to subscribe and leave a review.
Media:
Tom "Pinkie" Roden, date unknown
Pinkie, a West Texas Legend, by Walter Harold Gray & Don Hudgpeth, 2000, p 54.
The Somervell County Moonshine Bust. Courthouse lawn, 1923. Somervell County Historical Society
Governor Miriam "Ma" Ferguson with Texas Rangers on the Capitol steps. 1925.
Jordan Company. [Texas Rangers with Governor Miriam "Ma" Ferguson], photograph, 1925-01-20/1927-01-17; University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Austin History Center, Austin Public Library.
Crawford Hotel, Big Spring. postcard. Source unknown
Pinkie's Liquor, Odessa, 1950s. Source unknown
The Farm Store Ector County. Date unknown.
Pinkie, a West Texas Legend, by Walter Harold Gray & Don Hudgpeth, 2000, p 79.
Officers Buck Luttrell and Leon Bowman seizing bootleg beer in Abilene, 1953.
University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Library Consortium.
Lubbock District Attorney and Texas House Representative Waggoner Carr, chair of Amarillo organized crime hearings.
Texas Legislature photo.
The Lubbock Strip at night. Undated photo by Africaneze101 on flickr.
Impact, TX in 1961. Hutcheson, Don. Aerial Photograph of Impact, Texas (1961), photograph, September 7, 1961; University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Hardin-Simmons University Library. A portion of the photograph has been highlighted by the blogger.
Matchbook from the Inn of the Golden West. Blogger's collection
Dean Martin in Odessa, 1966. The Odessa American. "Dean Martin Enters Odessa Pro-Am." Odessa, Texas. January 1, 1967, p. 30.
Pinkie Roden in 1980, closing the sale of his hotel, The Inn of the Golden West.
The Odessa American; Odessa, Texas; July 13, 1980; Page 49
Pinkie's plaque on the Odessa Walk of the Entrepreneurs. Bill Kirchner. "Tom 'Pinkie' Roden Marker," photograph. Credit: HMdb.org PhotoID=318375. Copyright: http://www.hmdb.org/copyright.asp.
Further Reading
Pinkie: A West Texas Legend - Walter Harold Gray & Don Hudgpeth, 2000
The Wizard of the West - Mike Cochran, LA Times, 1992
A Texas Tragedy: Orphaned by Bootleggers - Dr. Elva Edwards, 2001
Credits:
Writer: Jody L. Slaughter
Producer: Jody L. Slaughter
Editor: Jody L. Slaughter
Engineer: Jody L. Slaughter
Music (in order of appearance):
Part 1:
The Stakeout - Gentry Ford & the Homeless Lobos
Sweetwater Station - Gentry Ford & the Homeless Lobos
Boomtown Sunrise - Gentry Ford & the Homeless Lobos
It's Drunk Out Tonight - Butterball Brown & His Orchestra
It's All West Texas (WTX Theme Song) - Gentry Ford & the Homeless Lobos
Part 2:
The Stakeout - Gentry Ford & the Homeless Lobos
Dreaming of Pinkie - Gentry Ford & the Homeless Lobos
Boomtown Sunrise - Gentry Ford & the Homeless Lobos
Pinkie, My Darling - Gentry Ford & the Homeless Lobos
Fighting Falcons - Gentry Ford & the Homeless Lobos
Dam That Damn River - Gentry Ford & the Homeless Lobos
Distant Horizons - Gentry Ford & the Homeless Lobos
It's All West Texas (WTX Theme Song) - Gentry Ford & the Homeless Lobos
Contact:
Email: lubbockistATgmail.com
Twitter: @Lubbockist
Listen on:
Thanks for listening, and so long...from West Texas.