Formerly: Mint Saloon · Mint Cigar Company and Soda Shop
Sheridan, Wyoming · Founded 1907 · Building: circa 1907
A Sheridan bar tracing its lineage to the 1907 Mint Saloon, known for its 1938 neon bucking-horse sign and cattle-brand walls.
The Mint Bar operates at 151 North Main Street in Sheridan, Wyoming. Its history traces to the Mint Saloon, established at the site in 1907, and the current owners describe it as Sheridan's oldest bar. The lineage includes a material interruption: the bar closed in 1930, the building was used as offices, and the Mint reopened with new owners and a new liquor license in 1933.
The Mint Saloon opened at 151 North Main Street on the former site of a barbershop.
Source: Society of Architectural Historians Archipedia, "Mint Bar"; The Mint Bar, "Legends"
The business history identifies Charles "Dick" Marlow as owner of the rebranded Mint Bar and says his Airedale, Rounder, became part of the bar's early lore.
Source: The Mint Bar, "Legends"
During Prohibition, Oran Moore rebranded the public-facing business as the Mint Cigar Company and Soda Shop, while accounts say a back-room speakeasy operated behind it.
Source: Society of Architectural Historians Archipedia, "Mint Bar"; The Mint Bar, "Legends"
The Mint closed because of economic concerns, and a series of offices occupied the building until Prohibition ended.
Source: Society of Architectural Historians Archipedia, "Mint Bar"
After repeal, Archie Wilson and Robert J. Thirwell reopened the Mint Bar with a new liquor license; the rear space was expanded from the former speakeasy into a gambling room.
Source: Society of Architectural Historians Archipedia, "Mint Bar"; The Mint Bar, "Legends"
Jack Kane installed the Mint's neon cowboy-and-bucking-horse sign, which became associated with the phrase "Meet me at the Mint."
Source: Society of Architectural Historians Archipedia, "Mint Bar"; Cowboy State Daily, "Drinking Wyoming: The Mint Bar Has Come To Life Every Night For 117 Years"
L. L. "Mac" McVean and Wayne Elkins began the ownership period credited with adding cedar panels burned with local livestock brands during a late-1940s remodel.
Source: The Mint Bar, "Legends"; Wyoming Truth, "In a World of Change, Sheridan Mainstay Clings Mightily to Tradition"
Ryan and Stephanie Wagner purchased The Mint Bar from Monte and Wes Buckmaster.
Source: The Mint Bar, "Legends"; Downtown Sheridan Association, "Spotlight: The Mint Bar"
The Mint Bar continues to operate daily on Sheridan's Main Street.
Source: The Mint Bar official website
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
The Mint has a 1907 founding lineage at the same address, but the bar closed in 1930. The building was then occupied by offices until the Mint reopened after Prohibition in 1933 with new owners and a new liquor license, so uninterrupted bar operation is contradicted by the available record.
The Mint's official website and Sheridan tourism sources call it the oldest bar in the city and trace its origins to 1907. The statement cannot mean continuously operating as a bar without qualification because the business closed in 1930; the citywide comparison and intended standard for the title require further research.
The Mint's own history, a Society of Architectural Historians entry, and recent reporting consistently date the sign to 1938. This review did not locate the original commercial installation order or maintenance history, so the date and origin are plausible rather than documented.
Architectural and bar-history accounts describe a public Mint Cigar Company and Soda Shop front with a secret back-room speakeasy. The business ultimately closed in 1930, so the story does not establish uninterrupted operation through Prohibition.
Recent accounts repeat a legend that Hemingway gambled in the back room and say John Huston was among celebrities who came to the Mint during Sheridan film productions. This review did not locate contemporaneous newspapers, diaries, production records, photographs, or other primary evidence for either visit.
The Mint's history credits L. L. "Mac" McVean and Wayne Elkins with the cedar-shingle brand treatment, and local reporting places it in a late-1940s remodel. This review did not locate a dated renovation permit, invoice, or photograph establishing the exact year.
The Mint's current website, Downtown Sheridan Association, and Wyoming Truth identify Ryan and Stephanie Wagner as proprietors who purchased the business in 2022.
The Mint Bar has operated continuously as a bar since 1907.
The Mint traces its lineage to a 1907 opening, but it closed in 1930 and the building housed offices until a 1933 reopening under new owners and a new liquor license.
Source: Society of Architectural Historians Archipedia, "Mint Bar"
The Mint Bar's neon bucking-horse sign was installed in 1948.
The Mint's neon cowboy-and-bucking-horse sign is consistently dated to 1938. The cedar brand-wall treatment belongs to a later, late-1940s remodeling period.
Source: Society of Architectural Historians Archipedia, "Mint Bar"; The Mint Bar, "Legends"
The current owners bought The Mint Bar in 2014.
Ryan and Stephanie Wagner purchased The Mint Bar in 2022 from Monte and Wes Buckmaster.
Source: The Mint Bar, "Legends"; Downtown Sheridan Association, "Spotlight: The Mint Bar"
The Mint has remained a Sheridan landmark by maintaining a recognizable Western bar identity rather than becoming a period display. Its 1938 neon cowboy-and-bucking-horse sign, cedar panels burned with livestock brands, and central Main Street location keep it a meeting place for locals and visitors under the current Wagner ownership.
Mint Bar in Sheridan, Wyoming, traces its history to the Mint Saloon, which opened at 151 North Main Street in 1907. During Prohibition it was rebranded as the Mint Cigar Company and Soda Shop and was associated with a back-room speakeasy, but the business closed in 1930 and the building was used as offices until the Mint reopened in 1933. Its familiar neon cowboy-and-bucking-horse sign was installed in 1938.
The Mint Bar is widely promoted as Sheridan's oldest bar because it traces its founding lineage to 1907 at the same Main Street location. However, it did not operate continuously as a bar from that year: the business closed in 1930, offices occupied the building, and the Mint reopened in 1933 with a new liquor license and owners. The citywide title is therefore unresolved pending research into the intended standard and all comparable Sheridan venues.
The Mint Bar's neon cowboy-and-bucking-horse sign is consistently dated to 1938. The Mint's history, a Society of Architectural Historians entry, and recent Wyoming reporting all identify 1938, although this review did not locate the original installation order.
Ryan and Stephanie Wagner own The Mint Bar in Sheridan. They purchased it in 2022 from Monte and Wes Buckmaster, whose ownership lasted about 32 years.
151 N Main St, Sheridan, WY 82801
(307) 674-9885
The Mint Bar is open daily in downtown Sheridan; its official website lists Monday–Saturday 10 a.m.–2 a.m. and Sunday noon–8 p.m.