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Real Photos of Old West Saloons – Where Cowboys Went to Party

Photo: Ripon Historical Society
Photo: Ripon Historical Society

The image of the American frontier and old west saloons, stretching from the latter decades of the 19th century to the early years of the 20th century, is unimaginable without the saloon.

They were in places in the Southwest where Mexican cantinas had already popped up, but the saloons were the dirty pulsing heart of the frontier, especially as the number of pioneers steadily grew. The first “real saloon” was Wyoming’s Brown’s Saloon, close to the border running between Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado, at Brown’s Hole. It opened in 1822 and served drinks mostly to fur trappers.

Another of the early American frontier’s saloons was at Bent’s Fort in Colorado, which opened in the latter part of the 1820s. Here, the most regular customers and noise-makers were soldiers. Miners favored places like California’s Santa Barbara, especially after gold was found in the area by the end of the 1840s. In a matter of a few years, the community there blossomed and people could opt between at least 30 different local saloons. And cowboys? They were regulars in places such as Kansas’s Dodge City.

Interior of the Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City, Kansas.
Interior of the Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City, Kansas.

 

A saloon, telegraph office, and wooden water tower along the dirt road of an old American western town
A saloon, telegraph office, and wooden water tower along the dirt road of an old American western town

 

Real Wild West Cowboy Town
Real Wild West Cowboy Town

 

old west saloon
Photo: Meriam Library, California State University, Chico

 

Muddy street scene, Skagway, Alaska, October 1897, during the Klondike Gold Rush.
Muddy street scene, Skagway, Alaska, October 1897, during the Klondike Gold Rush.

 

Pozo, California in the 1870s. The Pozo Saloon, which is still in business, is on the right. Built in 1858.
Pozo, California in the 1870s. The Pozo Saloon, which is still in business, is on the right. Built in 1858.

 

Second Class Saloon, Nome, Alska, July 1, 1901
Second Class Saloon, Nome, Alska, July 1, 1901

 

Shamrock Saloon 1905
Shamrock Saloon 1905

 

The Buckhorn Saloon in Pinos Altos, New Mexico. Built in c.1860. Photo by Tom Blackwell CC BY SA 2.0
The Buckhorn Saloon in Pinos Altos, New Mexico. Built in c.1860. Photo by Tom Blackwell CC BY SA 2.0

 

The Bob Saloon in Miles City, Montana, 1880.
The Bob Saloon in Miles City, Montana, 1880.

 

Gambling at the Orient Saloon in Bisbee, Arizona, c.1900. Photograph by C.S. Fly.
Gambling at the Orient Saloon in Bisbee, Arizona, c.1900. Photograph by C.S. Fly.

 

Interior of the Toll Gate Saloon in 1897 Black Hawk, Colorado.
Interior of the Toll Gate Saloon in 1897 Black Hawk, Colorado.

 

Men gathered for a drink in the Road House Saloon, Bluff City, Alaska, ca. 1906
Men gathered for a drink in the Road House Saloon, Bluff City, Alaska, ca. 1906

 

old west saloon
Photo: Plainfield Public Library

 

Saloon at Ehrenberg, Arizona in 1911.
Saloon at Ehrenberg, Arizona in 1911.

Though saloons were the first establishments that would pop up in a new town on the American frontier, as time passed they became notorious. The Western saloon world was filled with different vices as much as violence. Oftentimes, fights concluded outside on the dust-filled streets.

The drinks? Well, whiskey was certainly a favorite but was made of crude alcohol, with the addition of small amounts of chewing tobacco and some burnt sugar–who knows what the taste was like. It was known under dozens of different names including Firewater, Dynamite, Redeye, or Bug Juice.

Mix blackberry liquor and whiskey, there you have another drink–the Mule Skinner. One more popular choice: Cactus Wine, which included tequila as well as peyote tea. There was beer too, but unlike today, nobody expected their glass to be ice-cold; the beer was served at room temperature.

The Arcade Saloon in 1898 Eldora, Colorado.
The Arcade Saloon in 1898 Eldora, Colorado.

 

The Bar Room in 1885 Charleston, Arizona.
The Bar Room in 1885 Charleston, Arizona.

 

The Crystal Palace Saloon in Tombstone, Arizona Territory in 1885.
The Crystal Palace Saloon in Tombstone, Arizona Territory in 1885.

 

The Discovery Saloon in Nome, Alaska. Built in 1901.
The Discovery Saloon in Nome, Alaska. Built in 1901.

 

The Jersey Lilly, Judge Roy Bean’s saloon in Langtry, Texas, c. 1900.
The Jersey Lilly, Judge Roy Bean’s saloon in Langtry, Texas, c. 1900.

 

The Klondyke Dance Hall & Saloon in 1909 Seattle, Washington.
The Klondyke Dance Hall & Saloon in 1909 Seattle, Washington.

 

The Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City, Kansas. Built c.1874.
The Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City, Kansas. Built c.1874.

 

The Northern, Wyatt Earp’s saloon in Tonopah, Nevada, c.1902. The woman on horseback on the left may be Josie Earp.
The Northern, Wyatt Earp’s saloon in Tonopah, Nevada, c.1902. The woman on horseback on the left may be Josie Earp.

 

Interior of Table Bluff Hotel and Saloon in Table Bluff, Humboldt County, California, 1889.
Interior of Table Bluff Hotel and Saloon in Table Bluff, Humboldt County, California, 1889.

 

The Shamrock Saloon in 1905 Hazen, Nevada.
The Shamrock Saloon in 1905 Hazen, Nevada.

By 1893, the situation seemed so out of control that the Anti-Saloon League was established, determined to end the age of uncompromising debauchery.

Related Article: A group of rogue Arizona cowboys dug up a dead friend in 1905 to give him one last shot of whiskey

Only a few years later, the Anti-Saloon League became one of the key drivers that paved the way for the age of prohibition. However, the image of Old West saloons remained iconic to American culture and has been preserved through numerous films and books.

Stefan Andrews

Stefan is a freelance writer and a regular contributor to The Vintage News. He is a graduate in Literature. He also runs a blog – This City Knows.