Virginia City, Montana · Founded 1985 · Building: 1860s
A seasonal Virginia City saloon in an 1860s-era building, restored by Charles Bovey and reportedly reopened as the Bale of Hay in 1985.
Bale of Hay Saloon operates at 344 West Wallace Street in Virginia City, Montana. The business markets itself as Montana's oldest watering hole and associates the building with an 1863 date, but a historical account reports that the Bale of Hay reopened in 1985. The venue preserves and promotes an 1860s Virginia City setting, yet this review did not locate evidence of uninterrupted saloon operation from the gold-rush era.
The Bale of Hay site is marketed as an 1863 building in Virginia City's Alder Gulch gold-rush district. Independent building documentation confirming the exact construction year was not located in this review.
Source: Bale of Hay Saloon official website; Southwest Montana tourism listing
A historical account identifies J. F. Stoer, a dealer in groceries and liquor, as an occupant of the building from 1869 to about 1890.
Source: Montana Kids, "Bale of Hay Saloon"
A Montana Memory collection item documents restoration work at the Bale of Hay Saloon associated with Charles Bovey.
Source: Montana Memory Project, "Historical restoration of the Bale of Hay Saloon"
A historical account states that the Bale of Hay reopened in 1985.
Source: Montana Kids, "Bale of Hay Saloon"
Bale of Hay Saloon advertises summer food, drink, and restaurant hours at 344 West Wallace Street in Virginia City.
Source: Bale of Hay Saloon official website; Explore Virginia City and Nevada City
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
The business promotes an 1860s origin, but a historical account says the Bale of Hay reopened in 1985. That reported reopening contradicts an assertion of uninterrupted operation by the current saloon from 1863.
Tourism and business sources call Bale of Hay Montana's oldest saloon or watering hole, but the reported 1985 reopening materially contradicts a continuous-operating claim from the 1860s. An old building and earlier liquor-related occupancy do not by themselves establish uninterrupted business identity.
The saloon and tourism copy identify the building as dating to 1863, while a historical account documents an 1869–circa-1890 liquor-and-groceries occupant. This review did not locate an independent historic-resource survey, assessor record, or construction record confirming the exact year.
The saloon is included in modern Virginia City ghost-tour promotion, documenting a current haunted reputation. Specific ghost stories and alleged paranormal activity cannot be verified historically or scientifically from the material reviewed.
A 1948 Montana Memory collection item specifically identifies a historical restoration of the Bale of Hay Saloon and attributes it to Charles Bovey. This review did not verify the precise acquisition date, financial arrangement, or Sue Bovey's role.
Bale of Hay Saloon has operated continuously since 1863 and is Montana's oldest continuously operating saloon.
The building has 1860s-era history, but a historical account says the Bale of Hay reopened in 1985. The reported reopening contradicts uninterrupted operation by the current business from 1863.
Source: Montana Kids, "Bale of Hay Saloon"
Bale of Hay Saloon can be reached at (406) 843-5221 through baleofhaysaloon.com.
Current business and Virginia City tourism information list phone number (406) 843-5700 and the official website thebaleofhaysaloon.com.
Source: Bale of Hay Saloon official website; Explore Virginia City and Nevada City
The Bale of Hay survives as part of Virginia City's heritage-tourism economy, offering food, drinks, ghost-tour activity, and a physical link to the town's gold-rush streetscape. Its appeal comes from adaptive preservation and seasonal visitors, not from a documented unbroken commercial operation since the 1860s.
Bale of Hay Saloon in Virginia City, Montana, operates in an 1860s-era building on Wallace Street that is associated with early liquor-and-grocery use by J. F. Stoer from 1869 to about 1890. Charles Bovey restored the saloon in the mid-20th century, and a historical account says the Bale of Hay reopened in 1985. The current venue preserves a gold-rush-era setting, but its claimed continuous business operation from 1863 has not been established.
No. Bale of Hay markets itself as Montana's oldest watering hole and is often called the state's oldest saloon, but a historical account reports that it reopened in 1985. That interruption prevents the current business from being described as Montana's oldest continuously operating saloon from the 1860s.
Yes. Bale of Hay Saloon currently advertises summer restaurant service, drinks, and seasonal hours at 344 West Wallace Street in Virginia City. Confirm current dates and hours with the venue before visiting because operations are seasonal.
This review did not identify a reliable earliest newspaper article, oral-history transcript, or historical publication that first described the Bale of Hay Saloon as haunted. Current tourism information documents that the saloon is part of Virginia City's modern ghost-tour activity, but that does not establish when its haunted reputation began.
344 W Wallace St, Virginia City, MT 59755
(406) 843-5700
Bale of Hay operates seasonally in Virginia City and advertises food, drinks, and summer service; check current hours and ghost-tour scheduling before visiting.