This 140-year-old saloon for sale in southern Oregon might tie for oldest in the state

The community of Paisley, Oregon, hasn’t much changed since the 1880s. The population today, as it was back then, is about 250 people. It’s still a ranching town. And it’s still home to the same bar: the Pioneer Saloon, which opened in 1883.

That bar, possibly tied for the oldest continuously operating tavern location in the state, is now for sale. For $499,000, you could own the only sit-down restaurant in this tiny southern Oregon town in Lake County. And on Friday, visitors can celebrate the saloon’s 140th anniversary.

The saloon serves tourists in the summer, hunters in the fall, and is sustained by locals who are the “backbone of the business,” said owner John Steffes, who bought the bar in 2015.

On evenings, regulars arrive wearing cowboy hats and spurs — a detail that might explain the plywood floors and rustic, Old West vibe of the place. The one extravagance is the massive, wooden Brunswick bar, built in 1905 in Boston and shipped first by boat and then by mule train to Paisley in 1906.

For Steffes, the saloon was “kind of an impulse buy, which is ridiculous in retrospect, but it worked out.”

Eight years ago, Steffes was living in Sandy and running a small organic farm that sold produce to Portland-area restaurants. He took a solo motorcycle trip through Oregon and ended up spending several days in tiny Paisley, located along the Oregon Outback Scenic Byway between Bend and Reno.

There, he spent days soaking in the Summer Lake hot springs and nights playing poker with locals at the Pioneer Saloon.

“I just kind of fell in love with the area, the land, the scenery,” he said.

He continued his motorcycle trip and found himself in another bar — also named the Pioneer Saloon — in Susanville, some 250 miles away. And of all the people for him to run into, he found the owners of the Paisley saloon, also taking a motorcycle tour of the state. Steffes shared a drink with the couple, and they mentioned their bar was for sale.

Well, that seemed like fate.

“I just made a really rash decision and bought the bar,” he said. “I can’t say I’m the most calculating person on the planet. I’m pretty adventurous, and it just felt like the right thing to do.”

The first few years owning his own bar and restaurant required a “huge learning curve,” he said. It’s since provided him a comfortable living, but Steffes is now married, with a 2-year-old son, and he’s looking to sell to move closer to Portland and to family. The sale includes the building, which has living quarters upstairs, the business, and all the bar’s furnishings.

The Pioneer Saloon traces its roots to at least 1883, making it one of — if not tied for — the oldest continuously operating tavern location in Oregon.

Huber’s Cafe in Portland was founded in 1879, but it has only been in its current location since 1910. With that distinction, there seem to be few other spots that can claim the same longevity. Pendleton’s Rainbow Cafe also started in 1883 and claims to be the oldest tavern location in the state. And north of Grants Pass, there’s the Wolf Creek Inn & Tavern, also founded 1883, though it was (and is) primarily a hotel.

Brenda Morgan, a local historian in Paisley, has been researching the town’s history for years as she works on her book, “Paisley Pinnacles.” She dug through records in the Lake County clerk’s office and the circuit court to learn more about William Henry Miller, the original owner of the saloon.

Miller died on May 30, 1883, after being thrown from a horse. When his estate went into probate, court records show a bill submitted for “one and one half months labor keeping saloon at Paisley, Oregon as per contract with W. H. Miller at $40 per month.” Among the assets listed in Miller’s estate was the saloon building, at the same location as today’s Pioneer Saloon, worth $100, and the billiard table inside it, worth $300.

That leads Morgan to believe the Pioneer has been around since at least April 1883, possibly longer.

An article in The Morning Oregonian from Oct. 2, 1882, titled “A New Oregon Town” describes the attributes of Paisley, a town founded in 1879 and “upon the threshold of life.” According to the article, Paisley had two general stores, two blacksmith shops, a photograph gallery and “one excellently furnished and fitted saloon.” But it’s unclear where the saloon was located or who owned it.

What is clear is that the Pioneer Saloon never moved. During the Prohibition years, when alcohol sales were banned, it survived as a pool hall.

There are also records of at least three killings that took place at the bar.

In 1888, two men playing cards had a dispute, which the bartender settled in one man’s favor. The losing man didn’t like that decision, and he shot the bartender in the head, killing him instantly.

In 1910, a man was stabbed after a dispute on the range continued at the town bar.

And according to Morgan’s research, there was another murder, in 1963, involving a man killed after being beaten with brass knuckles.

These days, the Pioneer Saloon isn’t so rough.

“It’s a lot different now than it was when I was a kid even,” Morgan said. “It’s more of a family environment now.”

IF YOU GO: The Pioneer Saloon, at 327 Main St. in Paisley, is celebrating its 140th anniversary on Friday, June 30, with an all-age Old West costume contest, live music and food and drink specials.

-- Samantha Swindler, sswindler@oregonian.com, @editorswindler