True Western Saloons

The What Cheer Saloon at the City Hotel in Columbia State Historic Park recently made the True West list of top 10 Western saloons. They cite author Sherry Monahan, a woman with a passion for boozers, cruisers, gamblers and saloons, who says: "And that cherrywood back bar is a piece of art. It’s been at the What Cheer since the saloon opened in 1857. They shipped it around the Horn from Boston."

Just over the border in Virginia City, Nevada, the Bucket of Blood saloon took top honors. Its name was once a generic term for a low-grade saloon, like "gin mill," "whiskey mill," or "whoop-up," but nowadays it's all tricked out with Tiffany chandeliers but still rich in history.