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The First Old West Saloon (And The Outlaw Town That Birthed It)
How saloons grew to take over the Wild Wild West
The image of a smokey saloon with double swinging doors is one of the most enduring images from the American West. The saloon motif has endured for generations, along with six-shooters, wide-brimmed hats, billowing dusters, and stoic sheriffs. The Wild West has managed to capture the imagination of Americans for over a hundred years, and it remains a potent source of inspiration for everything from pop songs to blockbuster movies.
While many of the stereotypes of the Old West are overblown or outright false, many of the images do have some basis in fact. Take saloons, for example. They existed and were every bit as rowdy and bawdy as people imagine them to be. But they rarely looked the way that we imagine today.
The first saloon was established in Brown’s Hole, Wyoming. Like many saloons from this era, it was opened to serve a specific clientele in a remote location. It quickly caught on and became the place to meet in the region.
The First Saloon
The name of the first saloon built in the Old West has been lost to time (though it is possible that it never had a name), but its blueprint managed to stand the test of time. The first saloon opened…
