The Mint Bar – Sheridan, Wyoming
Unknown, from The Mint Bar. “The Mint Saloon 1907,” available at https://www.mintbarwyo.com/legends.
In 1907 Charles “Dick” Marlow founded the Mint Saloon in Sheridan, WY. When Wyoming Prohibition laws banned alcohol in 1919, Marlow rebranded “the Mint” as legal storefronts but continued illegal alcohol sales. In 1935, post-Prohibition, the Mint Bar reopened its storefront as a bar. Today, the Mint Bar is still a staple of entertainment in Sheridan, Wyoming.
In 1907 Charles “Dick” Marlow bought the building that would later become the Mint Bar from a barber and transformed it into the “Mint Saloon,” which locals often referred to as “the Mint.” In 1919, Wyoming passed laws banning the sale and consumption of alcohol unless for prescribed medicinal purposes. At this time, Marlow changed the Mint’s front into a dress shop, then a real estate office, while continuing alcohol sales in the back. In 1923, Oran Moore purchased the Mint, turning it into the “Mint Cigar Company and Soda Shop.” Between 1923 and 1930, Moore operated the Mint’s legal front while maintaining one of Sheridan’s more notorious speakeasies and gambling halls in the back.
During this time, law enforcement suspected the Mint of alcohol sales and conducted multiple raids on the location. On 23 June 1925, the Sheridan Post Enterprise published an article describing a moonshine bust at the Mint. Sheridan town sheriffs and a Wyoming state officer raided the Mint at four o’clock in the afternoon. Police discovered one gallon of moonshine whiskey hidden in a coffee pot by employees. The officers arrested Moore and several other employees. The court fined Moore $500.
On Tuesday, 23 June 1925, an article appeared in the Sheridan Post Enterprise about the officer’s raid at the Mint. A month later, the paper published a follow-up article on Tuesday, 07 July 1925, which mentioned that the court judge postponed the Mint employees’ trial. Lax police and judicial enforcement meant that raids, arrests, and trials like this never prevented the Mint from selling illegal alcohol. The establishment continued its bootlegging and alcohol sales until the stock market crash of 1929 forced Moore to close its doors. In 1933, the United States’ Twenty-first Amendment ended Prohibition, and Wyoming dissolved its alcohol ban.
In 1934, Archie Milson and Robert Thirlwell purchased the establishment and reopened the space as “the Mint Bar.” In 1948, the owner at the time, Lauren L. McVean, renovated the Mint Bar, giving the location its warm rustic style and now iconic bucking horse and cowboy neon sign. Cowboys, locals, travelers, and even celebrities like Ernest Hemingway once again made the bar a popular stop because of its historic charm, great beer, and gambling.
The Mint Bar’s story shows how Prohibition reshaped Sheridan without breaking its spirit. The hidden bar was a gathering place for cowboys and townsfolk alike. Raids and fines were a constant threat, but the establishment’s patrons remained loyal. After Prohibition, the Mint Bar never lost its notoriety. Today, “Meet me at the Mint” is now a signature phrase shared between Sheridan locals. The Mint Bar’s history is a nod to Western independence and resilience.
Images
Unknown, from The Mint Bar. “The Mint Saloon 1907,” available at https://www.mintbarwyo.com/legends.
https://www.mintbarwyo.com/legends.
Sanborn Map Company, from the Library of Congress. “Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Sheridan, Sheridan County, Wyoming,” available at https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn09779_005/.
Wolcott, Marion Post, from the Library of Congress, Call Number: LC-USF34-058737-E [P&P] LOT 131. “Main street, Sheridan, Wyoming” available at Main street. Sheridan, Wyoming.
Main street. Sheridan, Wyoming.
Dobson, Geoff, from Wyoming Tales and Trails. “Mint Bar, 2005,” available at http://www.wyomingtalesandtrails.com/photos8.html.