#2194 - Tamarack Saloon, Conconully, WA - 5/26/2013
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| Tamarack Saloon, Conconully, WA |
Conconully ("kahn-kah-NELL-ee") Washington is an old miners' camp that is now a tiny mountain town that knows how to have fun. It hosts events like the annual Outhouse Race and Cowboy Caviar (AKA bull testicle) Fete, and it features a rollicking waterhole called the Tamarack Saloon. The town is about seven blocks by four blocks squeezed between Lake Conconully and the Conconully Reservoir.
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| Jackson's Tavern, Conconully, WA Current site of Tamarack Saloon Photo from City of Conconully Facebook site |
It was originally called "Salmon City," and hosted miners pulling out gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc and molubdenum out of the surrounding hills and creeks. The name is purported to be a word the Okanagan Indians used for either "place of abundance" or "garden."
The Tamarack includes signs that say "Since the 1880s," but that seemed a bit questionable, and with the generous assistance of some volunteers at the Okanagan County Historical Society some of the history of the location came into better focus Here are some historical notes that the OCHS provided me:
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| Trista, Gail, Jonette, and Kristin |
1904 – June photo shows no bulding at that location
1905 – A building is there on the corner1909 – Sandborn Fire Insurance Map shows a building as “General Merchandise”
1911 – A building is there on the corner
1950s - Known as Jackson's Tavern and Grocery
1957 – Known as the “Conconully Tavern”
1958 – “Conconully Tavern & Grocery Store”
1970’s – ‘Tamarack Inn’ owned by Lucky Jones (after founding by Larry M. Hamilton)
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| Tamarack Saloon, Conconully, WA |
Okanagan county was completely dry by 1910, so the structure would have had fairly limited time to have hosted a saloon before county prohibition, which of course was followed by statewide prohibition starting in 1916 and then federal prohibition into 1933.
In any case it is now good for a boisterous Friday or Saturday night out, and we enjoyed our visit as well as the company of Kristin and Cliff, Gail and Josette, and bartenders Kimberly and Stacy.
(See also: Pete's Map of Great Old Washington State Bars)
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| Down goes Josette! |
Web site: thetamaracksaloon.com
Reviews: yahoo.com
Previous bars in this location: Jackson's Tavern, Conconully Tavern
1 comment:
I do not understand why someone who hates the public gets into the hospitality business. Cranky, rude and refused to take our food order because she had no cook and there were 4 people in the place. The owners are the town joke, it is just a matter of time until they run the place into the ground. We went to the Sittin Bull a block down the road and in 2 nights met a lot of great people, had really good food and dropped over $400 of tourist money.
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