Still Old School
The Old Saloon
The back bar came up the Missouri. It's been waiting since 1907.
The Story
Paradise Valley bar in Emigrant since 1902, with a back bar that came up the Missouri by steamboat. Shut down by Prohibition, legal again in 1962, and a live music stop now too.
Abe Armstrong opened the Old Saloon in 1902, when trains still carried passengers up Paradise Valley toward Yellowstone and the Emigrant depot sat right out front. It was the obvious place to stop. It still is, just with more pickups.
A fire took the first building, and Armstrong rebuilt in 1907 with a back bar shipped by steamboat up the Missouri from St. Louis. That back bar is still pouring. Prohibition shut the saloon down, and it didn’t reopen legally until St. Patrick’s Day 1962, when Abe’s son Elmer opened the doors again. Good day for it.
Owners have come and gone since. A group of local friends bought it in 2016 and added an outdoor stage, a dance floor and a grandstand. Matt and Melody took over in April 2025. These days it’s a bar, a restaurant out in the Livery, and a summer concert spot.
Pull up a stool on the way to Gardiner and take a good look at the back bar. It’s been waiting since 1907.
Featured in: What are the oldest bars in Montana?
Why It's Still Old School
Abe Armstrong's 1907 back bar is still in use. Prohibition closed the saloon, and it didn't reopen legally until St. Patrick's Day 1962, under his son Elmer. Ranch hands and Yellowstone traffic still end up at the same bar.
Photos
Coming soon. Know something that belongs here?
Still There.
- Address
- 210 Railroad Lane, Emigrant, MT, 59027
Sources
Got a Story About This Place?
What do you say?
While You're Here
Been Here Awhile
Cooke City Store
The cash register still cranks. By hand.
Still Kicking
Mark's In & Out
New owners in 1980 changed exactly one letter.
Been Here Awhile
Murray Hotel
Most people buy naming rights. The Murrays foreclosed.