Entry No. 189 — the Denver file — filed under: 1901-saloon

Minturn Saloon

The back bar came out of Missouri in the 1830s and did time in a Leadville brothel before the railroad hauled it to this 1901 saloon. The room has since been a boxing hall and a gambling joint — wives once sent messengers in to fetch their husbands. Owner Bob Cherry drank with John Wayne, hence the portraits and the old slogan: “If John Wayne didn’t drink it, we don’t make it.” Skiers still poach Vail’s out-of-bounds Minturn Mile and clomp in for margaritas in glass ski boots.

The move: Order one ski-boot margarita with two straws under John Wayne’s portrait, then walk the walls and read fifty years of memorabilia like a museum.

📍 Before you go Street parking in tiny downtown Minturn is the norm; the saloon sits right on Main Street off US-24, about fifteen minutes from Vail Village. It runs as a dinner house and tables go fast in ski season, so reserve ahead or claim bar stools early. The Minturn Mile itself is unpatrolled out-of-bounds terrain exiting Vail’s Game Creek Bowl gate — strong skiers in good snow only; everyone else just drives.

• 📍 Minturn
• 💸 $$
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Indoors

Where: 146 Main St, Minturn, CO 81645

Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3

last checked: 2026-06-11