Rotgut.org Blog: #4064 - Mint Bar, Sheridan, WY

Tuesday, December 01, 2020

#4064 - Mint Bar, Sheridan, WY - 7/20/2020

Mint Bar, Sheridan, WY

One of my very favorite bars on my 2020 road trip of Wyoming, Montana, and beyond, and one of my favorite bars, period, is the Mint Bar in Sheridan, WY. You start with the great neon sign out front, a cowboy riding bucking bronco, over the brands of local ranchers. Stepping inside you find a wonderland of gleaming knotted and burled pine over cedar shingles and surrounding sizable collections of taxidermy and historical photos.

And the Mint does indeed have a rich history. The Mint Saloon was constructed and opened on Main Street in the small western city of Sheridan (population under 20,000) in 1907. A few years after national prohibition shut it down in 1919, it reopened officially as the Mint Cigar Company and Soda Shop," while unofficially hosting liquor sales and gambling in an expanded area added to the back. It closed again in 1930, and subsequently hosted a series of offices until federal prohibition was repealed in 1933. (sah-archipedia.org)

Mint Bar, Sheridan, WY

The decor one sees today traces mostly back to the 1940s, with the gnarled pine burl framing knotty pine pine paneling and lots of local taxidermy (including a jackalope, of course), along with several animals from the owner's hunting trip in the Yukon in the 1950s. Under the pressed tin ceiling, the cedar shakes are said to feature 9,000 brands from local ranches. The drinks are fairly standard, with some nice local beer and whiskey choices, the staff is cool and friendly, and the crowd is a pleasant mix of young and old, locals and tourists. From the building itself and the postings on their facebook page, the owners and patrons both clearly value the deep and continuing history of the place, and it is a must stop for anyone near northern central Wyoming.