The Pioneer Saloon ...or the Commercial Club as it was called originally, was built in 1945 and operated as a gambling casino by Otis Hobbs. A few years later the casino was closed for serving minors. The American Legion then took it over and used it as a meeting hall. Not long after the building was converted into a dry goods store. Around 1950 the building was reopened as a gambling casino by Whitey Hirschman who named it the Pioneer Saloon. Although never legal in Idaho, gambling flourished in Ketchum until 1953 when the law intervened. Whitey operated the Pioneer as a bar and colorful antique store until the spring of 1965. In the mid 60's, the Pioneer was re-designed and most of the furniture and light fixtures were built by Michael Shannon of Bend, Oregon. The present version of the Pioneer Saloon dates from 1972 - hence the phrase “Where were you in ‘72", the theme of our annual Oldies but Goodies celebration held each November. Duffy and Sheila Witmer of Ketchum have been sole owners of the Pioneer since 1986. Colonel Tim McCoy During his career, Colonel Tim McCoy (1891-1978) was an Indian Commissioner, a veteran of both World Wars, and a silent and sound film star. Between the years of 1923 to 1965, he was in over ninety movies and for a time was MGM’s resident cowboy, noted for his “steely stare”. Tim McCoy was born in Saginaw, Michigan in 1891. At age 18 he went West. He learned the skills of a cowboy, homesteaded in Wyoming, and became a rancher. The Indians of the area, the Arapahoes and Shoshones, saw in him a man of their own spirit. He learned their language and was given by them the name “High Eagle”. He served in World War One as a cavalry officer and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. A crack shot, Tim was famed for his fast draw. His film career began in 1923 as technical advisor for filming of the epic The Covered Wagon. In addition, he acted a liaison between the director and the hundreds of Indian extras. When the picture was released in Los Angeles at Graumann’s Theater, McCoy and his Indians performed a live prologue on stage. This proved so popular that MGM signed McCoy as their first cowboy hero star. From 1934 to 1938, McCoy went on the road with Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey, with such success that he was persuaded to put together his own Wild West Show. The Tim McCoy Real Wild West and Rough Riders of the World was the last of the Wild West shows. The large poster in the center of the Pioneer Dining Room hung on Tim’s stagecoach in this show. Tim went on to host his own television show in Los Angeles from 1950-53. He was probably the most authoritative cowboy-hero ever on television, being a virtual living link with the old West. Tim’s friend “Iron Eyes” Cody appeared regularly on this show as an Indian storyteller. In 1973, Tim McCoy was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His book, Tim McCoy Remembers the West: An autobiography, was published in 1977, a year before his death. In 1976, Tim came to Sun Valley for the Western Film Conference. Some photos from this event hang on the wall to the right of the front window. With Tim are Iron Eyes Cody and Clint Eastwood. Tim signed an original Real Wild West and Rough Riders poster for Sun Valley resident Janice Belson and that poster is on the wall just inside the entrance to the Pioneer Dining Room. Tim McCoy was more than a host, performer and sharpshooter. He was a legend and the real McCoy. Pioneer Deer Mounts Above the entrance to the Pioneer Saloon Dining Room hang some unusual deer mounts. In the middle is the famous Fred, a 43-point atypical mule deer that was shot in the Challis area back in the 1920's. To the left is another atypical mount that dates from 1930. This 29-pointer was taken by Walter Bloom in Superior, Wyoming. It has a Boone & Crockett score of 288 inches. On the right is a third atypical mule deer. This buck is the 7th largest killed in Idaho. It was harvested by Ted Weary in Blaine County in 1942 and has a Boone & Crockett score of 287 inches. The number of points has yet to be accurately settled. Owners are Dana Hollinger and Bob Howard. Birch Bark Canoe The Penobscot Indians in Maine made the birch bark canoe that you will see hanging in our Bar. The canoe was made between 1880 and 1890. This canoe is typical of the kind used by the first trappers who crossed the Continental Divide into Idaho in the early 1800's. Fred Above the entrance to the Pioneer Saloon dining room is a very unusual deer mount. This deer was shot in the fall of 1927, by Vernon Ponzo, a Blackfoot Indian. The mule deer was killed on the Camas creek ridge north of Challis, Idaho, between Eddie and Camas creeks. Vernon Ponzo and Fred Funkhouser were very good friends. Every summer, Vernon would come to the Funkhouser ranch north of Challis with his tribe. When Vernon Ponzo brought the deer to the ranch, Fred Funkhouser bought the deer from his friend for ten dollars because of its unusual rack. Mr Funkhouser took the deer head to Charlie Bascom, a well-known taxidermist at Mackay, Idaho. According to Charlie Bascom, the deer rack has forty-three points. The deer was mounted and kept at the Funkhouser ranch home until Fred Funkhouser retired and sold the ranch. He gave the mount to Fred Siebe and it was kept in the Siebe gas station in Challis for many years. After Mr Funkhouser's death, the mount was returned to his son, Mix Funkhouser. Mix kept the mount and eventually gave it to his daughter, Renae Reay, who nick-named the deer "Fred". The Pioneer Saloon is proud to display this unique deer mount from the State of Idaho. Market Guns The Pioneer Saloon is proud to display above our bar two antique Market Guns. Big-bore waterfowl guns were manufactured and used from the 1840's to the 1920's for the commercial hunting of waterfowl. The short "O" gauge gun (hanging closest to the Dining Room) was shoulder fired! It was used for "sneaking" ponds and inlets. The Market gunner would "sluice" the floating birds before they flew, sometimes killing as many as thirty birds with a single shot. This technique was also used on the swan population, bringing them close to extinction. The 1" bored long barrel gun was used in a shallow draft boat, firing from a fixed mount similar to an oarlock. The Market gunners would float close to a "rafted" group of ducks or geese in the open lakes or ponds. It was fired at the center of the "raft". The recoil would violently propel the boat backwards through the water! Throwing one half pound of shot at a time, one of these guns could take hundreds of birds in a day. Bullet Boards The Pioneer Saloon is proud to display a collection of antique bullet boards. These boards were originally made in the 1890's by arms manufacturing companies as store advertising. Estimates of the total production of the various boards range from 50 to 200 depending on the type. The survival rate of these boards was very low due to two factors. The first is that most of them were hung in the windows or on walls where sun and moisture decayed and corroded them. Second and more important is that the early cartridge collectors (from 1930 to 1960) stripped the boards of most of their cartridges to sell them individually. Some of these cartridges cannot be found today at any price. "SINGLE W" - Manufactured by Winchester in 1890. Special note on this board is the top center cartridge - the infamous 70-150 Winchester, a cartridge which was made to fit the prototype Model 1887 lever action shotgun. For various reasons, this gun never actually went into production. "DOUBLE W" - Manufactured 1897. About 200 of these were made up until 1902 when the lithograph picture prints were issued. This is the most common of the Winchester boards. The intact survival rate of these boards is about 30%. "ELK U.M.C." - Manufactured 1890's. The Union Metallic Cartridge Company was bought around the turn of the century by the Remington Arms Company and is still making ammunition today. U.M.C. was the only company to make the 1" Gatling gun cartridge (seen lower left next to the primer display). This cartridge was ordered and used by the Chinese warlords. Clay Carter and his World Record Steelhead Steelhead are one of the most prized sport fish of the Northwest. They are born in the river and travel to the ocean as smolts (commonly mistaken for small trout). They usually stay in the ocean from 2-4 years. The longer they stay at sea the bigger they are when they return. Steelhead don't die after spawning like a salmon. They may succumb to the rigors of the journey but many return to spawn again. The largest fish grow to over thirty pounds - steelhead of this size are record class. A twenty pound fish is a real trophy and usually measures over 40 inches in length. Clay Carter retired to Ketchum in the ‘70's to live the sporting life. Steelhead fishing led him to the Kispiox River, in the Skeena drainage of British Columbia, Canada. This drainage has produced all the record steelhead catches, and is the home of the last great race of this fish. On October 1st, 1985, Clay beached an enormous steelhead at lower Patch on the Kispiox. Careful measurements were made and many pictures taken, and it was determined that the buck steelhead weighed thirty-seven pounds. Carter released the fish and gave up any hope of having his catch qualify as an official record, but he gained no little fame for his classy gesture. Had he killed the steelhead for the world record it was, the record would not have been a popular one. These are the fish that genetically energize their race, and their preservation is seen as a sacred trust among fly fishermen. A fiberglass replica of Clay’s prize catch is on display just inside the Pioneer dining room. A photo of the memorable moment hangs just outside of the grill. Clay’s close friends and the Pioneer Saloon are proud to keep alive the memory of this gracious sportsman. >home | menu | wine list