Formerly: Hub Bar
Laramie, Wyoming · Founded 1911
A working Laramie bar with a documented Hub Bar lineage by 1911, known for taxidermy and a bullet-holed mirror from a 1971 shooting.
Buckhorn Bar & Parlor operates at 114 East Ivinson Avenue in Laramie, Wyoming. The venue says it was established in 1900, but the earliest directory evidence located in this review identifies it as Hub Bar in 1911. It closed during Prohibition, reportedly may have operated as a cigar shop, and reopened as the Buckhorn after repeal—making it a historic local lineage, not a proven uninterrupted 1900 business.
Buckhorn Bar & Parlor markets itself as established in 1900, but this review did not locate a contemporaneous license, directory, permit, deed, tax record, or newspaper advertisement establishing that specific founding year.
Source: Buckhorn Bar & Parlor official website
The first early Laramie city-directory reference identified in this review lists a Hub Bar, an apparent predecessor to the later Buckhorn.
Source: Cowboy State Daily, "Laramie's Legendary Buckhorn Bar & Parlor Is On The Market"
During Prohibition, the bar shut down; an owner account reported that the building may have been used as a cigar shop. This review did not locate primary evidence for the exact use or dates.
Source: Cowboy State Daily, "Laramie's Legendary Buckhorn Bar & Parlor Is On The Market"
After Prohibition, the business reopened as the Buckhorn, according to the 2023 owner account.
Source: Cowboy State Daily, "Laramie's Legendary Buckhorn Bar & Parlor Is On The Market"
Buckhorn's official site says the second floor was used as a brothel until the 1950s. The claim requires independent historical verification.
Source: Buckhorn Bar & Parlor official website
A man identified in a later historical account as Charlie Phillips fired a hunting rifle during an incident connected to a Buckhorn employee. A shot from the alley came through a window and struck the backbar mirror, leaving the visible bullet hole.
Source: Cowboy State Daily, "Laramie's Legendary Buckhorn Bar & Parlor Is On The Market"
The official Buckhorn history says the upstairs former brothel space became the Parlor in the early 1970s.
Source: Buckhorn Bar & Parlor official website
Owner Mary Hopkins listed the Buckhorn Bar & Parlor and property for sale. This review did not determine whether a sale subsequently closed.
Source: Cowboy State Daily, "Laramie's Legendary Buckhorn Bar & Parlor Is On The Market"; Laramie Live, "Buckhorn Bar For Sale"
Buckhorn Bar & Parlor continues to operate at 114 East Ivinson Avenue with drinks, food, events, and regular posted hours.
Source: Buckhorn Bar & Parlor official website; current Laramie business listings
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
The Buckhorn's official site uses a 1900 establishment date, but the earliest documentary anchor found in this review is a 1911 city-directory appearance as Hub Bar. No 1900 license, deed, tax record, permit, directory entry, newspaper advertisement, or named founder record was retrieved.
The venue's own early history is uncertain, and the bar reportedly closed during Prohibition before reopening as the Buckhorn after repeal. The documented closure contradicts uninterrupted bar operation from 1900 or from the first known 1911 Hub Bar listing.
A detailed 2023 historical account places the incident in August 1971, not 1970. It says a man named Charlie Phillips fired a hunting rifle, with a shot entering from the alley, passing through a window and a Coors sign, and striking the mirror. The original police report and period newspaper account were not retrieved.
The bullet hole remains visible and is described in multiple current accounts. Cowboy State Daily gives a detailed 1971 explanation, but this review did not retrieve the original law-enforcement report or contemporaneous newspaper source needed to make the account fully documented.
Buckhorn and Laramie tourism sources make the oldest-bar claim, but the 1900 start is not independently verified and the bar closed during Prohibition. This review did not conduct a full citywide comparison of Laramie's historic bar businesses or distinguish oldest building, oldest lineage, and oldest continuously operating bar.
A 2019 report says Buckhorn employees hunted the taxidermy displayed throughout the bar. The statement has not been checked against a complete object inventory, ownership records, photographs, or employee accounts.
Buckhorn Bar has operated continuously as a bar at 114 East Ivinson Avenue since 1900.
The venue claims a 1900 origin, but this review's earliest specific record is a 1911 Hub Bar listing. The business reportedly shut down during Prohibition before reopening as the Buckhorn, so uninterrupted bar operation is not supported.
Source: Cowboy State Daily, "Laramie's Legendary Buckhorn Bar & Parlor Is On The Market"; Buckhorn Bar & Parlor official website
The Buckhorn's famous mirror was shot in 1970.
A detailed local-history account dates the incident to August 1971. It attributes the bullet hole to a shot fired by Charlie Phillips during an incident connected to a Buckhorn employee.
Source: Cowboy State Daily, "Laramie's Legendary Buckhorn Bar & Parlor Is On The Market"
The Buckhorn Bar was originally called the Buckhorn Saloon.
The earliest predecessor name identified in this review is Hub Bar, listed in a 1911 Laramie city directory. A formal earlier name or the exact start date of the Buckhorn name requires additional documentation.
Source: Cowboy State Daily, "Laramie's Legendary Buckhorn Bar & Parlor Is On The Market"
Buckhorn endures as a lively downtown gathering place by combining its weathered Western interior, taxidermy, food and drinks, university-town traffic, and local traditions such as the Buckhorn Roll. The bar's appeal relies on an accumulated culture of stories—including the 1971 mirror bullet hole—rather than a simple claim of unbroken operation since 1900.
Buckhorn Bar & Parlor in Laramie, Wyoming, operates at 114 East Ivinson Avenue and traces part of its history to Hub Bar, which appears in a 1911 city directory. The venue markets a 1900 establishment date, but that earlier date has not been independently confirmed. It closed during Prohibition before reopening as the Buckhorn, and its best-known tangible story is the bullet hole left in its backbar mirror by a 1971 shooting.
Buckhorn Bar is widely promoted as Laramie's oldest bar, but the title is unresolved. Its official history claims a 1900 establishment, while the first record located in this review is a 1911 listing for Hub Bar, and the business reportedly closed during Prohibition. A complete comparison of Laramie bar businesses and a clearer standard—oldest building, oldest lineage, or oldest continuously operating bar—is needed before declaring a winner.
The bullet hole in Buckhorn Bar's backbar mirror is attributed by a detailed local-history account to an August 1971 shooting, not a 19th-century gunfight or a 1970 incident. The account says a shot fired from the alley came through the window and struck the mirror, which was left unrepaired because it had just been replaced and was too expensive to replace again.
Yes. Buckhorn Bar & Parlor currently operates at 114 East Ivinson Avenue in downtown Laramie with drinks, food, events, and posted daily hours. Confirm service hours before visiting, especially for the upstairs Parlor and special-event nights.
114 E Ivinson Ave, Laramie, WY 82070
(307) 742-3554
Buckhorn operates in downtown Laramie with food, drinks, events, and an upstairs Parlor. Verify hours and special-event access directly before visiting.