The Old West Saloon

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/06/13/where-cowboys-went-to-party-25-photos-of-old-west-saloons/

[Capt Quirk]

I want to build a saloon out here,  but I'm getting resistance from the missus. She says she doesn't  want to live in a saloon. I envisioned a nice hotel in the front to live in,  and the back half would be the bar/"mancave", with room for gatherings,  stage,  game tables. I think the point where I really lost her,  was rooms for "the girls" and a pole on the stage.  Women... 

[bear tooth billy]

Mine is still having problems with the 1800 lb buffalo head mount in the living room



                                    BTB

[Crow Choker]

The picture of the Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City sure doesn't look like the one in Gunsmoke that Matt Dillion used to enforce the law in or visit Miss Kitty!    Looking at some of those pictures reminds me of some of the small town taverns around the Midwest area I live in that some of my hombre friends and I used to visit back in the late 60's, early 70's. Some of the outside looks and interior settings hadn't changed much since the turn of the century as some pictures were available on some of them. 

[Major 2]

If you are ever in San Antonio visit or better still stay at the Menger Hotel, The Roosevelt bar is where Teddy mustered some of the Rough Riders.
I've stayed several times, both in the original and the newer wing, the Bar is always a must ( course, I don't do Drams ) but still a great place and atmosphere. 

The Alamo is just next door 

[Trailrider]

It's a shame that I didn't take any pictures of the Mint Saloon in Great Falls, MT, in the late 1960's. That was where Charlie Russell used to hang out with his friends. Sadly, they tore it down and turned it into...a parking lot! 

The Old West saloon wasn't just a place to buy drinks. It was the social gathering place of towns. Not every saloon wound up with drunken brawls, shootouts, etc.  Some had brothels upstairs; many did not. It just depended on the needs and wants of the local clientele. Saloons along the cattle trails certainly had a wider variety of services than those in more off-the-beaten-track places.

[Jack Wagon]

 I was recently in the Red Dog Saloon in Juneau, it sure has the feel of the old west saloon. With swinging front doors, sawdust on the floor and music from an old piano being banged out in the background. On the wall behind the bar is a Smith and Wesson # 3 that was checked by Wyatt Earp on his way to Nome , but never claimed. The provenance on that pistol is pretty sketchy, but it's a good story. A fun place, but don't forget your gun when leaving town.  Jw