The Old Saloon: Heartbeat of the Valley
“A man could step off the 2:15 from Livingston, belly up to the bar, and be back on the 4:40 with a steak in his gut and a story in his pocket.”
Oral tradition, recorded 1938, Montana Historical Society
If the ranches were the valley’s muscle, The Old Saloon was its pulse. Founded in 1902 by Ab (Abe) Armstrong, a former miner turned entrepreneur, the saloon opened its doors the same year the Northern Pacific Railway extended passenger service to Emigrant. Built directly adjacent to the rail depot, its hitching posts and wide porch greeted cowboys dismounting from cattle drives, miners descending from Emigrant Gulch, and wide-eyed tourists bound for Yellowstone.
1902–1907: The Original Saloon
The first structure was a single-story log-and-frame building with a false front, typical of frontier architecture. Inside:
Hand-carved oak bar (local cottonwood, stained dark)
Pot-bellied stove for winter warmth
Back room for card games (poker limits: $5 pot, no IOUs)
Kitchen serving biscuits, beans, and venison from local ranches
Ab’s wife, Ella Armstrong, cooked daily, sourcing beef from the Fridley Ranch and mutton from Mallory’s sheep camps. A 1904 ledger (preserved at the Park County Museum) shows:
Whiskey: 15¢/shot (Old Crow or local moonshine)
Beer: 10¢ (shipped in barrels from Bozeman Brewery)
Steak dinner: 35¢
1907 Fire & Rebirth
On March 14, 1907, a lantern tipped in the back room ignited a blaze that consumed the original saloon in under an hour. Ab rebuilt within 90 days, this time with:
Fireproof brick chimney
Imported St. Louis back bar (mahogany, mirrored, shipped via Missouri River steamboat to Fort Benton, then rail to Emigrant)
Expanded dining room using timbers from the old Emigrant livery stable
The new back bar still in use features hand-etched glass and a brass footrail, a rarity in rural Montana. A 1908 photograph shows Ab behind the bar, aproned, with a sign: “No Credit – Gold Dust Welcome.”
Since 1902, the Old Saloon has been serving outlaws, cowgirls, travelers, and locals in the heart of Paradise Valley. The bar has outlived boomtowns, welcomed ranch hands and roadtrippers, and earned a reputation as one of Montana’s most iconic watering holes. Now, for the first time in more than a century of stories, the spirit of the Old Saloon is available to ship right to your door.
Every item in our store reflects the character of this place. The trucker hats and tees echo the ones worn by regulars at the bar. The hoodies and flannels are inspired by cool mornings in the valley and late nights on the back porch. The drinkware recalls the glasses that have slid across our bartop for generations. Whether you’re a longtime visitor or simply someone who appreciates the no-nonsense Montana way of life, these pieces were designed to carry a bit of that history with you.
This shop is an extension of the original Old Saloon in Emigrant, Montana, just down the road from Yellowstone National Park. When you visit in person, you’ll find the same logo above the bar that’s printed on your gear. Until then, we’re glad to share a small piece of Paradise Valley with you, wherever you call home.
