Juneau, Alaska ·
A Juneau mining-era-themed saloon moved intact to South Franklin Street in 1988, known for its Wyatt Earp revolver legend.
Red Dog Saloon is a downtown Juneau bar whose own history ties its origins to the city’s mining era, though its exact founding date remains unresolved. The business’s modern form developed through owners including Earl and Thelma Forsythe, territorial-era proprietor Gordie Kanouse, and the Harris family. In 1988, the saloon was moved intact to its present South Franklin Street site, where its historic-style interior was reassembled.
The business’s official history places Gordie Kanouse in ownership during the territorial era, when he welcomed arriving tour-boat passengers with a mule bearing a Red Dog Saloon sign.
Source: Red Dog Saloon official history
The Harris family buys Red Dog Saloon in the early 1970s and continues building its collection of furs, guns, and antiques.
Source: Red Dog Saloon official history
Red Dog Saloon is moved intact to its present site at 278 S. Franklin Street; its furnishings are repositioned to preserve the room's earlier layout and character.
Source: Red Dog Saloon official history
A group of local Juneau residents purchases Red Dog Saloon.
Source: Red Dog Saloon official history
Alaska Public Media investigates the Wyatt Earp gun legend and finds no documentary chain of custody establishing that the displayed revolver belonged to Earp.
Source: Alaska Public Media, "Did Wyatt Earp really leave his gun in Juneau?"
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
Red Dog Saloon displays and promotes a revolver attributed to Wyatt Earp. The display and the attribution are verifiable features of the venue; they do not prove the revolver’s ownership history.
The provenance story lacks documentary support. An Alaska State Museum curator found no museum record for the gun, a historian questioned whether Earp visited Juneau at all, and a Nome newspaper places Earp elsewhere on the date asserted by the legend. The gun may have a different history, but the Earp chain of custody is not established.
This review found no reliable source supporting a 1910 opening or a Gordon Noel founder. The business’s official history describes mining-era origins but does not provide a precise founding year or identify Noel.
The official history says Red Dog occupied several Juneau locations before being moved intact to its present South Franklin Street site in 1988. The current-site and continuous-operation formulation is therefore unsupported.
Red Dog Saloon was founded in 1910 by Gordon Noel.
The exact founding date and original proprietor were not established in this review. The official business history describes mining-era origins but does not identify a 1910 opening or Gordon Noel.
Source: Red Dog Saloon official history
Red Dog Saloon has been in its current South Franklin Street building since the Gold Rush.
The business had several earlier Juneau locations and was moved intact to its current site at 278 S. Franklin Street in 1988.
Source: Red Dog Saloon official history
The revolver at Red Dog Saloon is proven to be Wyatt Earp's gun.
The saloon displays a gun attributed to Wyatt Earp, but Alaska Public Media found no documented chain of custody and evidence casts doubt on the associated Juneau story.
Source: Alaska Public Media, "Did Wyatt Earp really leave his gun in Juneau?"
Red Dog Saloon survives because it has turned Juneau’s mining and territorial-era imagery into a durable gathering place for residents and visitors. Its identity rests on live entertainment, frontier-style display, and its long-circulating Wyatt Earp gun story, even though the provenance of that artifact cannot be substantiated. The move to a new site in 1988 preserved the saloon’s interior character while adapting the business to modern tourism and downtown life.
Red Dog Saloon in Juneau, Alaska, traces its origins to the city’s mining era, although this review did not verify an exact founding year. The business developed its modern identity under owners including Earl and Thelma Forsythe, Gordie Kanouse, and the Harris family. Red Dog moved intact to 278 S. Franklin Street in 1988, where it continues to operate.
No verified evidence establishes Red Dog Saloon as Alaska’s oldest bar. Its exact founding date and early operating history remain unresolved, and it moved to its current location in 1988. The Imperial Bar and Grill in Juneau has an older 1891 bar lineage, although its own statewide oldest-bar claim remains unresolved because of fire, name changes, and prohibition interruptions.
The saloon displays a revolver attributed to Wyatt Earp, but its authenticity and chain of custody are unproven. Alaska Public Media found no museum documentation for the gun, and historians have questioned whether Earp was in Juneau when the legend says he surrendered it to federal marshals.
278 S Franklin St, Juneau, AK 99801
(907) 463-3658
Red Dog is open year-round for food and drinks; confirm current hours, entertainment, and seasonal menus before visiting.