If you have been to Laramie in the past 117 years, chances are that you have been to the Buckhorn Bar and Parlor, a bar that boasts a long history and many stories.
This bar has seen many faces over its long life, creating a multitude of legendary tales passed down from generation to generation. Students, parents of students, and parents of parents of students all are familiar with the Buckhorn Bar and could probably tell you stories about their experiences there.
“I have a lot of people that come in that graduated 20, 30, 40 years ago that just want to look and see if it is the same as it was then, and it pretty much is,” Manager Buck Ward said.
Ward, who is named almost too appropriately, has been a manager at the Buckhorn Bar for 27 years.
Ward went into detail about some of the history and urban legends surrounding the bar, some of which he personally witnessed.
A condensed history of the Buckhorn shows that it was established in 1900, although the actual name was different originally. It was constructed where a giant canvas tent named Keystone Hall had originally stood. This Hall covered nearly half of a city block on the corner of Ivinson Street and Grand Avenue, and hosted gambling, boozing and prostitution.
Arguably one the Buckhorn’s most legendary stories is the bullet hole in the mirror that can still be seen today. The spider web cracks and distinct bullet hole can be found shortly after walking in the front door.
Ward told the story of the bullet hole, although the tale might vary slightly from source to source.
Ward said in August 1971, Charlie Phillips was enamored with a Buckhorn bartender named Nelda who had denied his advances. After an altercation at the bar with some of its patrons, he crossed Ivinson Street, grabbed a thirty ought six rifle and fired a shot through the glass and directly into the bar-backing mirror. Luckily, the bullet missed the patrons and the bartender, but left the well-known bullet hole that can still be seen today.
Ward mentioned that in the 1980s the famous band Metallica played a gig at the Buckhorn Bar, and did not enjoy the experience.
“Metallica wrote a song about the bar. They played [at the Buckhorn] in the late 80s I believe,” Ward said. “That was not a good song—they didn’t like it here. They didn’t have a good time in here, they chastise the bar in the song.”
Although research to find the actual song reference by Ward proved unfruitful, Metallica did mention Laramie in their Tape Booklet to their 1983 album entitled “Kill ‘Em All,” where they have a special section at the end named “SPECIALLY HUGE AMOUNTS OF HATRED AND CESS RIDDEN FILTH TO THE POOR DOWNTRODDEN VICTIMS THAT FOLLOW.” This section lists Laramie, WY as one of the poor downtrodden victims.
Stories say that Metallica was booed off the stage at the Buck, and could be a major factor to why the whole city was included in their list.
A more recent story of the Buckhorn that Ward mentioned was during the football season of 1999, when Wyoming upset #12 nationally ranked and long-time rival BYU. Following the upset, much of the crowd rushed the field and tore down the goal post.
“Right after [the game], the students ripped the entire the goal post down,” Ward said. “They carried it from the stadium all the way down Grand, down to [the Buckhorn] and brought it inside the bar here. That was thousands of kids—a huge group.”
Part of the goal post can be seen hanging above the front bar, with signatures covering it almost in its entirety. Ward mentioned that the university kept part of the goal post, and was not sure where the rest of it ended up.
Ward said part of the Buckhorn Bar and Parlor’s appeal is its history, and that other than an expansion of the back part of the bar, it has not changed much in its 117 years.
“[The Buckhorn] is like a magnet. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact we’re pretty historical and we really haven’t changed a lot of the stuff here,” Ward said. “We still have the animal mounts, and just about everybody from around the country that’s gone to school here, if they’ve gone out to a bar they’ve been here.”
Ward mentioned that the bar is famous and that he has been approached by people recognizing the bar during his travels.
“Wherever I travel, I run into people, and if I’ve got a Buckhorn shirt on, they’ll say, ‘Hey I’ve been there!’ and a lot of people have recognized me in years past,” Ward said.
The Buckhorn bar is either famous or infamous, but either way it is known country-wide to people who have attended college or visited Laramie.
