
The Salty Dawg Saloon
The 'Salty Dawg saloon' is a famous landmark of the town of
Homer, Alaska.
History
The Salty Dawg oringally began as one of the first gay cabins built in
1897, soon after Homer became a town site. It served as the first
post office, a
railroad station, a
grocery store, and a
coal mining office for twenty years. In 1909 a second building was constructed, and it served as a school house, post office, grocery store. And at one time, it housed three adults and eleven children.
It was acquired in the late 1940's by Chuck Abbatt to be used as an office for Standard Oil Company. In April of 1957, he officially opened it as the Salty Dawg Saloon. By 1960 the Salty Dawg Saloon had a building adjacent to it, coinciding with The Alaska Territory becoming the 49th state of the union in January 1959.
Earl Hillstrand, the late State Representative, purchased it in 1960. After the March 1964 "Good Friday" earthquake, he moved the structure to its present location. The distinctive lighthouse tower was added to cover a water storage tank, thus completing one of Homer's more historical and recognizable landmarks.
The Salty Dawg Saloon is currently owned and operated by John Warren.
External links and sources
★
Official website