#2186 - Constantine's Alibi Pub and Eatery, Wilbur, WA - 5/24/2013

Constantine's Alibi Pub and Eatery (AKA the Alibi Tavern) is now the only bar in town. You can see that times have been tough as you walk down Main Street, past the long-shuttered Boyd's Place, with the American flag logo in the old 1902 VFW Hall, and past the graying teddy bear face on the sign for Sarah's Restaurant and Lounge. The town of Wilbur sites northeast of Goose Creek, with both the town and creek named after "Wild Goose Bill" Condon, whose ranch basically founded the town. The story goes that town officials were planning to name the place "Goose Town," when Nannie Robertson, the wife of the town blacksmith, declared she would refuse to live in a town with such a name, and it was eventually decided to use Wild Goose Bill's middle name.

Wild Goose Bill married and divorced two of the local native American women, including one known as "Lop-eared Julia" due to her ears that had been mutilated by her tribe as punishment for sexual improprieties. Condon lost his life in January 1895, in a gunfight that erupted after he responded to Millie Dunn's refusal of his marriage proposal by shooting her, whereupon a ranch hand there to protect her engaged him in gunfire, with both men dying. Nowadays, Wilbur celebrates Wild Goose Bill Days annual on the third weekend in May, which includes the "Wild Goose Chase" run. (Spokesman Review)

At the Alibi we chatted with bartender Alan, who in addition to being a pretty cool guy is the son of the woman who runs the Willows Motel up the road where we were staying. Alan said there's been a bar in the location since the 1940s, and that the physical back bar dates back to the 1880s.  We were informed by locals that the Alibi is a good place to eat, but on this stop we were only stopping in for a drink before heading back to the motel and then back on the road the next morning. But if we're back this way we will be stopping in.

Wilbur, WA (Wild Goose Bill?)

4 SW Main, Wilbur, WA 99185 - (509) 647-2649                 
Est. 1995
Web site: facebook
Reviews: yelp - spokesman.com (Wild Goose Bill)

#2185 - Electric City Bar & Grill, Electric City, WA - 5/24/2013

In pretty much every way that the Coulee Dam Casino is lifeless and lacking in character, the Electric City Bar and Grill, just four and half miles down Highway 156, is the exact opposite. The Electric City bar is full of people laughing and engaging each other, in a setting that is uniquely defined by the owners and customers. It is vibrantly colored, with a fire pit and large patio on the side, and inside the ceiling is filled with tiles personalized by long-time customers. The food and drink choices look pretty standard, but the vibe and crowd make it one of the better bar stops in the area.

2 Coulee Blvd, Electric City, WA 99123 - (509) 633-2221
Web site: tripod
Reviews: tripadvisor

#2184 - Spillway Lounge, Coulee Dam Casino, Coulee Dam, WA - 5/24/2013

Coulee Dam is a small town (population approx. 1,000) that spans three counties - Douglas, Grant, and Okanogan -- built to house the people constructing the dam. From Wikipedia:

"The Okanogan County portion was known as Mason City, location of the head contractor. The Portions in Douglas and Grant Counties was known as Engineers Town and was government owned. In 1942 with the end of the contract in sight, CBI transferred control of Mason City to the over to the Municipal Division of the Columbia Basin Project. In 1948 Mason City was incorporated into Coulee Dam. Government began the process of selling the town to the public in 1957, finishing in 1959. Coulee Dam was officially incorporated as a town on February 26, 1959. It is the headquarters of Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, and home of one of the world's largest man-made piles of sand ..."

Of course this is not to mention the 12 million cubic yards and 46-story tall concrete that backs up the Columbia River for 150 miles.

In contrast to the mammoth dam next door, the Coulee Dam Casino is decidedly non-epic, and it's main attraction seems to be, well, I guess people just like casinos no matter what.

516 Birch St, Coulee Dam, WA 99116 - (509) 633-0766
Web site: colvillecasinos.com - facebook
Reviews: yelp

#2183 - Hartline Recreation Care, Hartline, WA - 5/24/2013

Hartline Recreation Cafe, Hartline, WA
(As you can tell from this picture it must be a biker bar.)

Hartline, WA, just off Highway 2 in the central Washington plains, has population of about 150, and you could miss it entirely were it not for the grain silos along the old railroad line. The Hartline Recreation Cafe seems to serve as a sort of everything community center for the town. It is a donut shop, a diner, and a bar. It hosts live music, karaoke, and community group meetings. The food is pretty good American comfort food items with daily specials. I chatted with Lohman, who owns the place with his wife Staci, and they seem like really nice folks. The locals also recommend swinging by the Hartline School building, a historic rural brick schoolhouse built in 1922, designed by Frederick Westcott, and now on the National Register of Historic Places.

Hartline, WA

Hartline, WA

906 Willard St, Hartline, WA 99135 - (509) 639-0118
Web site: facebook
Reviews: tripadvisor

#2182 - Last Stand Diner and Saloon, Coulee City, WA - 5/24/2013

Update: The Last Stand closed sometime between mid-1990 and mid-2020.

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I don't know anything about the history of the Last Stand Diner and Saloon, but it does have a side entrance for the lounge, which is usually a good sign.  Inside is a pretty typical dive bar, at the rear of a diner that seems to serve pretty good food. The bartender told me there's been a tavern there since "the early 1900s," but there are few vestiges of that sort of age.  The 1907 Polk Guide lists four saloons in town, without addresses, so it could easily be one of these.  I don't know how long it has been the Last Stand -- named after the annual Memorial Day Weekend Rodeo in town -- but it appears to have been "Grandpa Joe's Restaurant and Lounge" and "CJ's Ranch House Restaurant" in the not too distant past.

502 W Main St, Coulee City, WA 99115 - (509) 632-8777
Est. May 12, 2011
Previous bars in this location: Grandpa Joe's Restaurant and Lounge, CJ's Ranch House
Web site: facebook
Reviews: roadtrippers - yelp - tripadvisor - panoramio

#2181 - Couleegan's, Coulee City, WA - 5/24/2013

Update: July 2020 - Couleegan's is closed at this time but a new owner is working on reopening soon (I forgot to ask if it will still be called Couleegan's).

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The area where white men first settled down growing wheat and raising cattle is now mostly covered by Banks Lake behind the Grand Coulee Dam. Couleegan's was established here in 2007, but bars appear to have been in this building ror well over 100 years. I have not found any dates from historians or primary sources, but in the bar itself there is an old photo labeled "Madden and Sargent's Saloon, Coulee City 1891," and said by the bartender to be in this building. It could not have been much older than that because Coulee City was platted and built in the Spring/Summer of 1890. It also would also have had a longer interruption of service as a legal bar than some bars of comparable age across the state, as the city apparently voted itself dry in 1908, and remained that way until the end of federal prohibition.

Couleegan's Bar and Grill, Coulee City, WA

Couleegan's has a fairly modest facade, but inside is larger than expected, with a fine antique back bar, and a hodgepodge of motorcycle and rock and roll decorations surrounding large old paintings. I wish I knew more of the history between Madden and Sargent's and Couleegan's. But nowadays it is a restaurant offering typical pub food (pizza, burgers, sandwiches and steaks) a bar offering standard drink choices, and a community gathering place, hosting live music and local get-togethers.

Couleegan's Bar and Grill, Coulee City, WA

Couleegan's Bar and Grill, Coulee City, WA

Couleegan's Bar and Grill, Coulee City, WA

508 W Main St, Coulee City, WA 99115 - (509) 632-8663                 
Est. 2007
Previous bars in this location: Madden and Sargent's Saloon, Branding Iron Saloon
Web site: couleegans.com
Reviews: yelp

#2180 - Don's Restaurant, Soap Lake, WA - 5/24/2013

Don's Restaurant has been here just off the southern edge of the white-rimmed edges of Soap Lake since the early 1940s. It has survived the economic downturn and declining population of the area -- the struggles that inspired plans for erecting a 60 foot high lava lamp downtown -- serving the sort of classic American steakhouse menu that now caters mostly to old people. The lounge off the dining room is old school as well, with a lacquered bar with embedded arrow heads, a conestoga wagon wheel, and fishing taxidermy hanging on a pleated, read leather wall.  Jim Notaras and his family own the place, and used to own the lodge next door, including the members only businessman's club, which is not a strip joint, and which Jim tells me has the only remaining liquor license in the state of that certain type. The Soap Lake Businessman's Club has over 1,500 members, Jim says.  Their big annual salmon feed costs $25 but is free for members, and membership cost $20.

The soapy water and unusually high mineral content of the lake to the north have been believed to have healing powers by various peoples, from the local Tsincayuse tribe, to 19th century European immigrants, to new agers and Russian immigrants today, but people come in much smaller numbers these days. Lord knows I'd be one of the first to plan a trip over the Cascades to visit a small town in the middle fo the state with a giant lava lamp, but the town's been talking about that for a decade now and still hasn't found a way to afford it. But even without a kitschy attraction or much belief in a lake's healing powers, it's a fine drive along the thread of lakes along the old grand coulee on a summer day. So I expect to revisit Don's every now and then, and if I'm lucky enough to make it during the salmon feed, I might just become a member.

14 Canna St N, Soap Lake, WA 98851 - (509) 246-1217              
Web site: facebook
Reviews: yelp - urbanspoon