The Gold Medal of Dives

Posted on February 29, 2024 by Thebeerchaser

John Runkle – former owner of The Dirty Shame Saloon in Yaak, Montana

Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. If you are seeing this post through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title above to see all of the photos and the video at the end of the post and so the narrative isn’t clipped or shortened. (External photo attribution at the end of the post # 1)

In this, my fourth and final post on this series on dive bars, I finish with my Gold Medal. My favorite dive in the US is the “former” Dirty Shame Saloon in Yaak, Montana – about seventy-five miles from the Canadian border.

The fact that I’ve devoted four different posts on this blog to the Shame, which I visited on a road trip in 2019, attests to this.

I say “former” because the prior owner, John Runkle, sold it at the end of 2022 and it is not the same iconic watering hole that originally opened its doors in 1951. For example, if you check out their current website, it states only:

“We’re currently open for drinks only Friday & Saturday 4:30 pm – Close”

Their “unofficial” Facebook page hasn’t posted since last August.

And this is unfortunate because if one reads author, Joan Melcher’s two books on Montana Watering Holes, you will learn that there are at least three and possibly four incredible stories strictly on how the Shame was originally named:

One involves fighter, Joe Lewis and a second relates the saga of seven dead cows – shot by a guy named Jimmy who left them on the road in front of the bar. Don’t forget the other about a mother-in-law of one of the original owners who would sit in the corner of the bar and admonish him “What a ‘dirty shame’ it was that you bought this bar.” (#2)

This watering hole reeks history

Context…

Having reviewed almost 400 bars and breweries before the pandemic struck, I can honestly say that only a handful have not been enjoyable and positive. (The worst was the Yard House in Portland https://thebeerchaser.com/2016/04/14/the-yard-house-does-it-measure-up/))

I’ve found that the character of some notable bars cannot be differentiated from the personality of their owners – the bar embodies the persona of the proprietor.

Such is the case with former Army Paratrooper, Runkle. (Graduated from the French Commando School, earned his Spanish Jump Wings. The big guy made a total of 53 jumps and ended up as an instructor at Ft. Benning) (#3 – #5)

The following other four bars I’ve reviewed also fit this characterization:

The Goose Hollow Inn – Portland, Oregon – the late Bud Clark

Pinkie Master’s – Savannah, Georgia – the late Pinkie Master *

Smitty’s Green Light – Pueblo Colorado – Greg “Smitty” Smith

Buffalo Bill’s Saloon – Beavercreek, Oregon – Patrick Whitmore

* I never met Pinkie, but there is ample evidence of my assertion

Clockwise – Bud Clark, Smitty, Pinkie Master’s, John Runkle and Patrick Whitmore.

Patrick Whitmore and partner, Barb

Transition to Texas

John and his wife, Dallas, now live in Texas with their three wonderful young children. Dallas, got her undergrad degree at Arizona State University and earned her Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Development from Grand Canyon University.

John met Dallas when she bartended for him in 2013 and they married in 2016. They jointly worked to again integrate the Dirty Shame into the community of 250 people.

Dallas taught elementary school for a year in Bonner’s Ferry, Idaho and then transferred to an elementary school in western Washington. (#6)

She now teaches in Texas where John says, “I’m just a full-time house frau…” And make no mistake, John, who is now 62, loves his kids, stating “I’m the oldest and proudest dad in the world with three kids under seven!” (His son is 2 and daughters are 4 and 6.)

His competitive and over-achieving tendencies were evident, however, when he added:

“Pacino and Robert Deniro make me look bad, they are around 80 and just had a child last year. Makes the bar pretty high for me.”

John sold the Dirty Shame nine years after purchasing it in 2013. Given the hours he worked as owner of both the Dirty Shame and the Yaak River Lodge – about two miles down the road from the bar. Add that the rugged Montana winters and John has certainly earned a respite and as he told me when I was in Yaak:

“At 57, I’m no spring chicken and I don’t have much of a bucket list left. I’m usually at the bar until 2:30 AM on Friday nights and then Saturday morning, I’m up cooking breakfast at 5:30. On Monday morning, it’s tough to get going.”

Is he happy with their decision to relocate? As he stated in a recent Facebook post:

“It’s 91 degrees here today in South Texas…Gotta love this February weather in Texas – I have the air conditioner on!” (#7 – #9)

I became aware of the Dirty Shame while having a beer at the Moose Saloon in Couer d’Alene, Idaho in 2016, when Tara, the bartender asked me if I’d ever been to the bar. She had bartended there and after I researched it, I was fascinated with the story.

Tara at the Moose Saloon

A phone call to John Runkle resulted in an invitation to come to Yaak, stay at the Yaak River Lodge and raise a mug at the Dirty Shame.

John had a very successful career in real estate in Orange County. He also had successful stints in mining equipment and banking including time in Queensland, Australia for several years after he bought Yaak River Lodge in 2004 and before ownership of the Dirty Shame.

The Lodge sits on a beautiful site of 7.5 acres on the Yaak River with llamas and horses about two miles from the Shame. I stayed two nights in the Moose Room ($115 nightly) in 2019 and had John’s home-cooked blue-berry pancakes for breakfast.

That’s when I learned first-hand about Runkle’s work ethic and the hours it took to manage both enterprises.

Acquiring the Dirty Shame – “A Matter of Self-Preservation”

Author, Melcher describes it perfectly in her first book when she talks about her return to the bar:

s-l1600

“….the same wood-planked front porch, the same deer rack used as a door handle, the battered pool table, the loose bathroom door, the grotesque graffiti inside, the loggers, ranchers receptionists, Forest Service people using the bar like a third leg….

The Dirty Shame is the fresh, sharp smell of pine, and the dank odor of dirt-laden, beer-splashed floors, wild nights of revelry and mornings of shared pain.” (Page 88)

In her second book, she lamented the “deterioration” of this historic and iconic bar after a female – a former Wall Street stockbroker and her husband – moved from Maryland and bought the bar in 2006.

They tried to eliminate the “dirty” and “clean it up.”

“What I learn is the that the Dirty Shame died a typically raucous death and has been reborn as a law-abiding establishment, that is really more coffeehouse then bar. Sacrilege!…

Besides a piano and set-up for musicians….she also has book readings and draws many people who aren’t close enough to Yaak to be miffed about what happened to its legendary bar.

The Dirty Shame is dead. Long live the Dirty Shame.” (Pages 54-7,9)

Well, their plans to “civilize” the Shame came to a quick end in 2011 when the former broker’s 82-year-old husband was taken out of the bar in handcuffs and extradited to Maryland after he pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of two female minors according to a story in the Montana newspaper The Ravelli Republic.

The bar went into foreclosure ultimately forcing Runkle to act in 2013:

“It was a matter of self-preservation. I started getting cancellations (at the Lodge) because hunters and bikers wanted to hit the Dirty Shame when they stayed in Yaak.

I was the only one who showed up at the foreclosure sale. I paid cash and was now the owner of another business that I didn’t know anything about how to operate.”

A Community Fixture

John’s creativity and marketing prowess took over and the bar sponsored or participated in the following:

The Sasquatch Festival, the Adult Easter Egg Hunt, the Yaak Attack, Miss Sasquatch Pageant, the Sasquatch Screeching Contest, the Big Foot Run and, of course, the Crawfish Festival each September.

It started with a ceremonial leg shaving and had events including male strippers, female cream wrestlers and mechanical bull riding.

Across the road from the Shame is a nice family-owned bar – the Yaak River Tavern. But it’s ambiance is miles away from its neighbor. John described the difference to me:

“The Yaak River Tavern has an annual Ugly Sweater event. We have a Wet T-shirt Competition!”

The Stories Will Live On….

In my two days in Yaak talking to John and from reading Melcher’s book, I was amazed at the stories and why it gained the moniker, “The World Famous Dirty Shame Saloon.”

It took me four blog posts (see links below) to relate all the stories – most of them from my conversations with John over the two days I was there. You should check them out.

These ranged from John’s efforts after he first bought the bar to plaster up the bullet holes in the walls, to visits from “celebrities” such as the aforementioned Joe Lewis, Howie Long and OJ Simpson detective, Mark Furman among others.

The Kehoe Gang was a notorious gang who committed crimes across the US in the mid-to-late 90’s. Chevie Kehoe was the leader and he and his brother Cheyne, after fleeing across the country, settled in Utah where they were arrested for murder in 1997.

After a trial in which his mother and Cheyne (who had turned himself in) served as star witnesses for the prosecution, he was convicted of murder and several other felonies.

Chevie is now serving three life sentences in Florence Prison in Colorado – known as the “Alcatraz of the Rockies”. Also described as the “clean version of hell”. (#14 – #16)

My second afternoon at the Dirty Shame, I noticed two men who were talking to Darilyn, the bartender. One of them stated in a soft-spoken voice:

“Dar, I think I owe you for the meal I had last week and didn’t want to let that slide by before I forget.”

She checked and said that another regular had already paid it.

John introduced me and they were both nice, personable guys. He stated that they do periodic maintenance and electrical work for him at the bar. After they left, John told me that the older guy was Chevie Kehoe’s, brother Noah and the other was Axel his son – the one who wanted to make sure his bill was paid. Noah lives in Yaak and Axel in Spokane.

The Automatic Rifle attack on John and the Bar (#17)

Right before I left on the road trip to Yaak, I got the following e-mail from John:

“Don, you will see an article where a guy went nuts in the Dirty Shame with an AR-15 and you will also see the video of me bear spraying him and his brother trying to fight their way back into the bar and another video embedded in that article showing him running around the parking lot trying to shoot me through the window and then almost shooting his brother in the head.

It was a crazy night. The Dirty Shame is truly still the Wild Wild West.”

“Troy Man Charged Following Saturday Night Incident at Yaak’s Dirty Shame Saloon.

Visit by the Yaak River Road Murderers

In 2017, two strangers walked into the Dirty Shame:

“Both the woman and the man seemed pretty nervous and were not friendly. They just shrugged when a regular asked them what they were doing in Yaak.”

On television, the next day was a story about a murder committed at Milepost 48 of the Yaak River Road (The Dirty Shame is at Milepost 29).

A woman and her boy friend allegedly shot and killed the woman’s husband and after dumping his body by the Yaak River, escaped in his car. They were considered fugitives and law enforcement throughout the state was looking for them.

John and his staff thought the description matched the couple and alerted law enforcement. He later told a news reporter:

“They acted really unfriendly. I still remembered what they ordered. She ordered a double shot of Jack Daniels. He ordered a double shot of Sailor Jerry’s and they toasted each other, which I didn’t think was weird until two days later,”

This article about the pair entitled, “Guilty Verdict in Yaak Murder Trial” from the Western News tells the story including the result of the trial and the sordid details.

The Crack Pillow and Hatchet Lady

A disheveled woman – apparently high on something and wearing camo-gear, walked in with the pillow seen in the photo above a hatchet stating, “You never know when you’re going to need firewood.”

Check the link to see her behavior at the bar and in leaving. The “crack pillow,” which she gave John as barter for a Mike’s Hard Lemonade, became a permanent fixture in the bar.

The Theft of the Bar’s Life-size Cardboard Trump (#18 – #19)

Numerous Other Tales Including the Search for the Missing Person (#20)

The links to the aforementioned posts are below:

https://thebeerchaser.com/2019/10/01/the-dirty-shame-saloon-continued-stories/

https://thebeerchaser.com/2019/09/11/the-dirty-shame-saloon-in-yaak-part-ii/

https://thebeerchaser.com/2019/08/13/john-runkle-beerchaser-of-the-quarter-and-the-dirty-shame-saloon-part-1/

https://thebeerchaser.com/2019/10/16/thebeerchasers-final-thoughts-on-the-dirty-shame-saloon/

In Conclusion…

My visit to the Dirty Shame in Yaak left me feeling better about the possibility of civility in times of polarization.

John and I have distinctly different political beliefs and yet one of the conversations I enjoyed the most was at a table drinking beer with John and his good friend, Todd Berget, who unfortunately passed away of a stroke about a month after my visit at the young age of 54.

Todd was a dedicated teacher and coach for many years, but also a gifted artist and craftsman who formed his own company to produce metal sculptures (Custom Iron Eagles.)

He gifted the Dirty Shame with his collection of metal motorcycles that he started collecting when he was a kid. They are intricate and reflect an artistic talent for capturing detail which is intriguing and the displays add to the spirit of the saloon.

John Runkle is a staunch conservative and Trump supporter. And John told me, “Todd is a liberal whose ideology would be left of Stalin’s!” Yet the three of us had a wonderful and far-ranging conversation, much of it about the rich friendship they had for many years.

Regardless of their political persuasion, John loved his patrons and staff and they reciprocated.

Unfortunately, I did not get to return to the Dirty Shame before its sale. But before I left, I presented John with two bottles of Benedictine Beer from the Mount Angel Abbey in Oregon.

A gift from the Benedictine monks

John Runkle is still a relatively young man although when I e-mailed him to verify his age, he replied, “I remember when I was young, I thought somebody 62 would be in a nursing home with a walker!”

When his three kids are old enough to be in school full time, who knows what endeavors he will pursue in Texas. It might be in hospitality, politics, non-profits or some other business, but you better believe he will not be spending his days sitting on his couch and watching Fox News. (That would – pardon the expression – be “a dirty shame.”)

And perhaps he’ll open a dive bar in Texas. After all, he has a gold medal to defend…….

And the stories and the legacy of the World Famous Dirty Shame Saloon will live on even though the bar will never be the same. (#21 – 24)

Cheers

External Photo Attribution

#1. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (2012_Olympic_Gold_Medal.jpg (1536×2048) (wikimedia.org)) This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. You can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Author: Carlinmack – 16 September 2012.

#2. (https://yaakrealestate.com/29253-yaak-river-road-yaak-mt.html) Sharin Lamp, Realtor.

#3 – #6. Courtesy of John Runkle.

#7 – #9. John Runkle Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/john.runkle.).

#10 – #13. Courtesy of John Runkle.

#14. Southern Poverty Law Center (Two Members of Notorious Kehoe Family Arrested Again | Southern Poverty Law Center (splcenter.org).

#15. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:Florence ADMAX.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) This image is a work of a United States Department of Justice employee, taken or made as part of that person’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain (17 U.S.C. § 101 and 105). Federal Bureau of Prisons – 2010.

#16. (Chevie Kehoe – Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia).

#17. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:DPMS AR-15 less frame.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) I, the copyright holder of this work, release this work into the public domain. This applies worldwide. 18 May 2009.

#18 – #24. Courtesy of John Runkle.

Don’t Jump When You Can Dive – Part II

Posted on February 5, 2024 by Thebeerchaser

In Part I of this series, I listed my favorite dive bars in Oregon – Portland, along the Oregon Coast and throughout the rest of the state. My original intent for the blog was to limit my exploration of bars and breweries to the Portland area.

After retiring in 2011, however, my wife, Janet, and I began traveling – not only throughout our wonderful state, but all over the US and one trip to Europe. It was natural for the range of my Beerchasing visits to expand.

Consistent with my dive bar theme, I now offer you my favorites – first in the Montana and Colorado – two ideal states for these establishments – followed by the rest of the US.

Janet and Ernie Bob – one of our favorite bar servers at the Second Street Brewery in Sante Fe.

Beerchasing in the Big Sky State

Two road trips in Montana – one in 2016 and a more extended one in 2019, endeared us to Big Sky watering holes. The latter was part of a fourteen-day road trip – 3,700-miles across the Western US to North and South Dakota.

Through a long story that began with my wish to take a 350-mile side trip to visit the Dirty Shame Saloon in Yaak, Montana – only 60 miles from the Canadian border, my wife and I negotiated.

So while she visited our two granddaughters in Seattle, I embarked on a six-day solo trip through the Big Sky Country hitting twenty-nine watering holes. Janet then flew into Billings and we completed the final eight days of this unforgettable journey.

As I mentioned in my last post, I used two “incredible” (no exaggeration) books by Joan Melcher – Watering Hole – A User’s Guide to Montana Bars and Montana Watering Holes -The Big Sky’s Best Bars as outstanding references.

These were supplemented by a phone conversation with the author, herself, who was very helpful and encouraging. As she states in the first book:

“I probably stopped in an eighth of the 1,600 bars in the state. I’ve written about less than half of those: the bad bars and the sad bars, gay bars and play bars; the stage stop bars, migrant bars, tourist bars and bars for single cowboys; the mean bars and clean bars; the new bars, the rendition saloons, the old boot-legging bars.”

The bars were wonderful – both the people in them and the trappings – and that last term could be taken literally because virtually every bar and many of the breweries (also a lot of the hotels) had mounted (deceased!) wildlife as part of the bar’s décor.

I’m not a hunter and some people have visceral reactions to these displays, but it accurately reflects the culture of the state:

The Montana Favorites

The New Atlas Saloon Columbus

The Saw Mill Saloon Darby

The Blue Moon Highway 97 Columbia Falls

Purportedly, the longest bar in Montana and where else would you see an alligator over the bar!

Antler Saloon Wisdom

Fritz, who is Bernie, the bartender’s dog and a bar regular

The Wise River Club Wise River

Tom Davis – bartender and former notable musician.

The Oxford Saloon Missoula

The Colorado Favorites

As was the case in Montana, I had an in-depth resource to help on our trips to Colorado. Dr. Thomas Noel, an history professor-emeritus at the University of Colorado – also known as “Dr. Colorado” and who has written more than fifty books including Colorado – A Liquid History and Tavern Guide of the Highest State.

These excerpts from his introduction give you a good idea on his enthusiasm for the topic:

“Colorado is often too hot or too cold. This helps explain why some of us patronize saloons for temperature, as well as altitude and attitude, adjustment…

Pursuing higher education as long as I could, I completed a dissertation in history at the University of Colorado at Boulder. For that research, The City and the Saloon: Denver 1858-1916 , I systematically visited every licensed and unlicensed after-hours club, bar, lounge, nightclub and tavern in Denver – some six-hundred establishments.” (#2)

Eiler’s Place Pueblo

Star Bar Pueblo

Smitty’s Greenlight Tavern Pueblo

Four Notable Others

Pinkie Master’s in Savannah, Georgia is a legendary dive where Jimmy Carter, while standing on the bar, was supposed to have announced his candidacy for the Presidency in 1978. It closed in controversy in 2016, but was resurrected as The Original Pinkie Master’s.

AC Tap Door County, Wisconsin

Darwin’s Theory Anchorage

Durty Nelly’s Boston

This historic bar (established in 1850) labeled “Boston’s Friendliest Dive Bar” capped a wonderful eleven-day road trip in 2018 through Maine and ending in Boston.

Olympic Diving?

I’ll finish with the silver medal of US dives, if you will. And this analogy made me think of the Olympic Games and some “questionable” Olympic sports in past and future Games.

These include flag football (2028), live pigeon shooting (1900), tug-of-war (1900 – 1926), croquet (1900) and rope climbing (1896 -1932. (#3)

Rope climbing event in 1896 Games

Perhaps they should supplement future Olympic Diving with a “dive bar component” with bartenders lifting or rolling kegs, a mug-sliding competition to the end of the bar (distance and time), etc. Sorry, I couldn’t resist…..

Silver Medal – Rod-N-Gun Saloon – Stanley, Idaho

In 2004, I first visited the unforgettable Rod-N-Gun on Ace of Diamonds Street in downtown Stanley. It’s at the foot of the beautiful Sawtooth Mountains and I was on a 2,600-mile solo road trip during a law firm sabbatical. The history and character of this bar are remarkable.

I returned with Janet in 2016 and we had an engrossing conversation with Johnny Ray Kirsch – also known as “Idaho’s Singing Bartender” – brother of the legendary owner and musician, Casanova Jack. (#4)

A Musical Icon

For the full story see: https://thebeerchaser.com/2016/09/08/beerchasing-in-idaho-part-ii-stanley-and-the-sawtooths/ (#5 – #8)

And there is an update – see this January 5, 2024 Facebook excerpt from Stanley Real Estate Agent, Erich Hamm:

“Congrats to Tripp Costas for purchasing the Rod-N-Gun Saloon in Stanley and to Johnny Ray Kirch and Eve Kirch for selling. During the winter of 1995, when I was 20 years old, I waited tables for Johnny Ray and Eve on the cafe side of the Rod-N-Gun. We became lifelong friends. That summer I turned 21 at the Rod-N-Gun. It was June 5th, and it was snowing.

The Rod-N-Gun is a Stanley institution. The original owner built it in 1931 and then gambled it away in a cribbage game. It has burned down twice (once due to an exploding propane tank). The current building was built in the mid-fifties. Johnny Ray’s mom bought it in 1971.

Johnny Ray’s brother, Casanova Jack, ran it until his death in 1990, when Johnny and Eve took over. Casanova Jack was a Nashville recording artist who toured with many

entertainers, including Marty Robbins.

Tripp has been in and out of Stanley for the last decade. He hails from Nashville and has a hospitality background. He’s a bush pilot, a mountain man, and an all-around great guy. Tripp, Johnny Ray, Eve, and I have been working on this deal for the past four years, and it has finally come to fruition.”

Stay Tuned for my Final Post in this Series

Besides revealing Thebeerchaser’s Gold Medal winner, I’ll also discuss the matchless description of a dive bar and a brewery by Harlan Coban in his novel Win. And if an actual New York City bar is that portrayed in his book.

External Photo Attribution

#1. Wikimedia Commons (File:Nolene Maclean, diving champion, Sydney (attrib.), 1949.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) This image was originally posted to Flickr by State Library of NSW at https://flickr.com/photos/29454428@N08/52059079597. It was reviewed on 19 June 2022 by FlickreviewR 2 and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the No known copyright restrictions. Author: State Library of New South Wales – 13 April 1949.

#2. Eiler’s Place Bar – Pueblo, Colorado

#3. Wikimedia Commons (Rope_climbing_event_1896_Summer_Olympics.JPG (301×438) (wikimedia.org)) This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author’s life plus 70 years or fewer. Author: Albert Meyer (1857–1924) – 1896.

#4. Waxidermy.com Blog (https://waxidermy.com/blog/casanova-jack-and-the-stardusters/)

#5 – #6. Stanley Rod-N-Gun Saloon Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/155766471164/photos/pb.100063669815768.-2207520000/155801316164/?type=3)

#7. Stanley Rod-N-Gun Saloon Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=482690930529897&set=a.482690883863235)

#8. Erich Hamm Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/erich.hamm.3)

Pueblo Beerchasing Continued…..

Posted on January 28, 2020 by Thebeerchaser

Two recent posts will give Beerchaser followers an idea of our trip to the Southwest US last September and the first installment on the wonderful historic dive bars we visited in Pueblo Colorado.

https://thebeerchaser.com/2019/12/05/beerchasing-in-the-southwest-part-i-oh-ernie-bob/

The last post focused on Gus’ Tavern and Eiler’s Place, both of which have retained their rich character going back to the end of Prohibition.

https://thebeerchaser.com/2019/12/28/pueblo-rich-in-history-and-dive-bars/

Shamrock Brewery and Irish Pub

Our next stop that afternoon was at the Shamrock Brewery and Public House right in the heart of downtown Pueblo. Like the other Pueblo establishments we visited, it’s housed in an historic building and has been in operation for over sixty years.

“Shamrock Brewing Co. is one of the oldest Irish pubs in Colorado. Originally constructed as a mercantile building in 1908, the first notable tenant was Johnson Bros. Motor Company in 1913. Founded as a bicycle shop, Johnson Bros. became one of the first Xcelsor dealerships west of the Mississippi.” (Shamrock Brewing Website)

It’s an expansive space divided into two parts – the east side which has an impressive mahogany bar with old-fashioned bar stools and a wonderful backbar was opened as the Shamrock Cafe in 1940.

The west side – acquired later and where we had our beers – has been a cigar shop and pool hall before the bar expanded and they started brewing.

It is a family- oriented and community gathering place:

“The Pub was the main meeting place in downtown Pueblo for many years and locals still reminisce about past business deal, raucous St. Patrick’s Days and old romances. To this day, couples frequent the establishment on the anniversary of the day they met there so many years ago.”

The Shamrock gets good reviews on both food and beer – they usually have four of their standard and two seasonal rotating. And, of course, as you would expect, green beer on St. Patty’s Day.

But what made the Shamrock such a positive experience was meeting the Taylor family (except for their son, Travis).

Cassy Taylor is our Beerchasing friend, John and Barb Senger’s daughter, and her husband, Kirk is the Sheriff of Pueblo County. Their daughter, Sarah Taylor Gallegos, was there with her daughter, Penelope, and this is one impressive and friendly family.

From l to r: John Senger, Kirk Taylor, Cassy Taylor, Penelope, Sarah Taylor, Barb Senger and Janet

Since I’m not part of the family, I can do a little bragging about these new friends and Beerchasing companions…..Let’s start with Cassy – seen in the picture below with husband, Kirk.

Cassy has had a distinguished teaching career in Pueblo City Schools, where she is an elementary literacy specialist. Like the rest of her family, she is an advocate of continuing learning and besides her undergraduate degree, has two Master’s Degrees related to education.

Kirk is an elected official for Pueblo County with responsibility for law enforcement and corrections as Sheriff – first elected in 2007 and re-elected three times.

Although I only spent several hours chatting with him, he reflects the quiet confidence plus having both a background and values which make Pueblo fortunate to have him leading the Department.

Kirk is a USMC Veteran and started as a patrolman in the narcotics division for the City of Almarosa, CO. After earning his associates degree and while ranching full-time, he completed his BA.

While working as an investigator for the District Attorney’s Office, he attended and graduated from law school at the University of Colorado. He has been a leader in law enforcement serving on numerous state task forces in addition to teaching at the State Police Academy.

Kirk is a man of faith, family, an avid outdoorsman, coaches youth athletics and is active in civic and non-profit organizations such as 4-H. He is also a national authority on the impact of legalizing marijuana including an appearance on a CBS 60 Minutes special.

And then there’s Sara. I was fascinated by her background because of her Navy experience – a 2009 graduate of the US Naval Academy with her degree in chemistry. (Having had a brother who graduated from West Point, and Academy degree is an accomplishment in itself.)

But Sarah’s record since graduation at the Academy transcends the ordinary.

(Sarah – second from left)

She was the Captain of the Women’s Rugby Team and also a soprano in the Women’s Glee Club!

(Sarah is third from the left)

After commissioning, she became a Surface Warfare Officer and was stationed in Pearl Harbor with one tour aboard the USS Crommelin FFG 37 where she had two deployments to Southeastern Asia and one shore tour as a Communications Officer.

USS Crommelin FFG 37

Sarah states:

“I completed my pre-requisites for nursing school while on shore duty and got accepted to Colorado State University-Pueblo Accelerated Program for a Bachelor’s of nursing.

I was ready to come home and be closer to my family in Colorado. I actually served as a bartender and a unit secretary at the local hospital during nursing school……I have been working as an ER and ICU nurse for the past 5 years in Pueblo and am now going thru Walden University online program for my Masters of Nursing-Nurse Practitioner where I hope to graduate in 2021!”

Smitty’s Green Light Tavern

From the Brewery, our group walked one-half block to the Fitch Block in the heart of Pueblo and the home of an imposing three-story historic building – the oldest in Pueblo and originally the home of Stockholders’ Bank built in 1873 by Pueblo cattlemen, Charles Goodnight and Col. Michael Fitch.

The Pueblo Club – an association of Pueblo’s wealthiest – met there, President Teddy Roosevelt was a guest – and in later years, the Elks and Eagles also “lounged and loafed” in its luxurious furnishings. In other words, it reeked of the history of this railroad, steel and mining town.

Before it became Smitty’s Green Light Tavern, the building was also home to the Pueblo Telephone Exchange.

Now when the Sheriff walks into your establishment, patrons take notice and Greg – “Smitty” – was there to greet us with a warm smile and welcoming handshake.

The bar, which opened in 1933 and having four owners since, has been part of his family since his dad – Linn “Smitty” Smith bought it in 1956. Greg became the sole owner in 1985 and loves the building and has enhanced and remodeled it while always being sensitive to preserving its heritage.

This South Pueblo High School graduate is now sixty-two and his bearing and personality reflect his athletic background – he was captain of the football and wrestling teams in high school.

The clientele was diverse and low key the afternoon we were there and did not reflect the reputation that some assert Smitty’s carries as a biker bar.

Smitty’s response is:

“I’ve had the stigma of being a biker bar. They’re all my friends. They come in here and support the place.”

(And Thebeerchaser has seen many bars where the Harley guys and gals who are regulars add character – not trouble – to the environment. The Gemini in Lake Oswego and the Corner Saloon in Tualatin are examples.)

Smitty, although the bar was hopping during “Panic Hour” (every weekday from 5 to 6 PM with beers $1 and premiums $2), joined us at our booand he radiated enthusiasm for not only his bar but the City he calls home.

Quite a few customers came up and shook his hand and chatted – and for many that was also the case with Sheriff Taylor – both well known Pueblo personalities.

The bar’s décor is fitting the tradition of the region. On weekends, there is live music

The Star Bar

While in Pueblo, we wanted to experience a dinner built on the City’s reputation for green chile peppers. Now at $5.00, the Starburger, a straight burger has a great tradition.

And while many bars and restaurants serve “Sloppers,” the Star Bar in the Grove Neighborhood, is purported to be the origin of this amazing creation. The bar is also a Pueblo institution.

It was closed for a time and has had several different owners, but is now going strong. Sam Romero, the current owner, was quoted stating he didn’t believe it was a dive bar.

“We try to make everybody as welcome as a regular.”

Well, Thebeerchaser has been to a lot of dives and the Star Bar appeared to be one – just look at the building this classic bar occupies – and the regulars in many bars welcome strangers contrary to the stereotype.

The dark mahogany bar, the old bar stools, the booths and the distinctive ceiling tiles all make the “dive” description appropriate as do the two beers on tap – Bud and Bud Light, sold in $2.50 schooners – cash only…..

The “Slopper” is an open-faced burger – single, double or triple – smothered in green chile and raw onions. As one November, 2019 review on Restaurant.com stated effusively (and somewhat redundantly…)

“I finally got to taste what generations of Puebloans have shared with me in their storytelling. WOW. I had a triple and added Pueblo Chile and bacon. WOW. I also had the fresh cut fries. WOW. Need I say more. And so affordable…..Add a schooner and you are all set.”

And is it popular? According to an article in The Pueblo Chieftain:

“Star Bar goes through about five gallons of green chili a day. Five pound of green chilies, five pounds of pork, diced tomatoes and a bit of salt and pepper to into the pot and are simmered for at least two hours. The result is chili that’s brought customers back ever since the Star Bar began serving up the slopper forty-five years ago.”

My slopper experience replicated the reviewer’s above, although given my recent lack of exercise, I didn’t have the guts – so to speak – for the triple and wolfed down a double slopper with a schooner of Bud.

(At $7, my double slopper was a bargain and to validate that premise, I offer the following comparison)

The next night we stayed at a wonderful organic farm – the Los Pablosnos Inn and Farm on the outskirts of Albuquerque. The expansive acreage with a picturesque old hotel and many acres with vegetables, bee hives, goats and other healthy stuff I usually don’t eat, had an outstanding, high-scale restaurant. The cost of Janet’s glass of wine that night weighed in at 275% of my double slopper!!

Although being built in 1900 didn’t seem “old” compared to the previous Pueblo watering holes, the Star Bar, which Cassy Taylor recommended and at which she accompanied us, ended our Beerchasing adventures that day on the same high note that will notch the Pueblo bars in Thebeerchaser’s all-time favorites.

We were warmly greeted by Margarette, the manager, and we noticed the dart tournament in the back of the bar, a lively game at the pool table and the crowded poker room immediately adjacent. Part of the ambiance is reflected in the ceiling tiles – a remarkable recollection of those who have visited the bar in the past.

(I didn’t find out how one qualifies for the ceiling tile option, but since the allure of the Pueblo watering holes beckons me to return, I will find out.)

Margarette warmly welcomes our group to the Star Bar

Back to Albuquerque

And so ended our unforgettable time in Pueblo and after a stay at the aforementioned organic farm, we spent one more night and half-day in Albuquerque before catching the flight back to Portland.

The tap room at Sante Fe Brewing in Alburquerque

We went to four establishments – all which were nice but not notable: Boxing Bear Brewing Co., Bow and Arrow Brewing, Gecko’s Bar and Tapas and Santa Fe. Brewing.

We attended a climate change demonstration in the afternoon, visited an historic chapel – the San Filipe de Neri Church in a building constructed in 1793 and walked to the historic Hotel Albuquerque in Old Town

The San Felipe de Neri Catholic Church

And while the scenery on our Southwest trip – most notably the National Parks (Mesa Verde and Great Sand Dunes) and the historic cathedrals – were memorable, the history of the entire region was remarkable, the food was good (I still “relish” another slopper….) and the beer was varied and well-crafted from the Second Street IPA on the first night at Second Street Brewery in Santa Fe to the schooner of Budweiser at Star Bar in Pueblo, what will make this trip stand out to us when we reminisce are the people.

Horse at Eiler’s Place

From Ernie Bob at Second Street our first night, to shaking hands with “Horse” Mohorcich at Eilers Place to reuniting with John and Barb Senger and meeting the wonderful Taylor family, to having a beer with Smitty from the Green Light and to Margarette’s greeting at the Star Bar that made us feel like regulars, our road trip reaffirmed why Thebeerchaser will continue his tour.

Even if in future years I end up bellying up to the bar to order just a soda water or Hires Root Beer….I will continue to meet the wonderful owners, bartenders, regulars and visitors that have made this an outstanding retirement hobby for the last eight years!