Belly up to the Hole in the Wall Bar

by Jackie Dorothy

Relive our lawless past during Outlaw Days June 20-23 at the Hot Springs County Museum. Thermopolis and Hot Springs County wasn’t always this quiet when the Hole in the Wall Gang roamed this remote area. Between robbery sprees and working on ranches, Butch Cassidy and his ‘boys’ would spend time in the local saloons quenching their thirst with beer and whiskey.

Thursday-Sunday from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. you can lean against the authentic Hole in the Wall bar where these cowboys once drank and enjoy your choice of beer, whiskey, wine or sarsaparilla. It is truly a unique experience to drink at the old bar and just perhaps you will hear a whisper from the past while you enjoy your beverage.

As folks celebrate the wild past with drinks at the bar, there will also be live music, free old-time photos and free admission to the museum from Thursday to Sunday. Keith O’Brien will be performing both Thursday and Saturday evening.

The story told by Will Simpson, Senator Al Simpson’s grandfather, is that after the Wilcox train robbery, saloon owner, Tom Skinner showed him burnt bills he was storing in his safe. These bills, he said, were from a recent Union Pacific job. According to others, the loot had been divided at the Little Muddy, between Fort Washakie and Thermopolis.

In just 20 years, Skinner had gone from poor cowpoke with only $30 to his name and a barrel of beer to a wealthy businessman of Thermopolis. He was a friend of the ‘boys’ running around with the Hole in the Wall gang and appears to have benefited well from his acquaintance. Skinner bought the elaborate bar from the Chicago World Fair and a new oversized safe by 1915, both of which now reside at the county museum. His saloon was advertised as the ‘Best Hobo Joint in Town’.

As we celebrate our wild past with drinks at the bar, there will also be live music, free old-time photos and free admission to the museum from Thursday to Sunday. Keith O’Brien will be performing both Thursday and Saturday evening.

Wyoming Historical Society Annual Trek

The Wyoming Historical Society (WHS) will be holding its 70th State Annual Trek in Hot Springs County this year on June 20-23 in partnership with Outlaw Days at the museum.

The WHS holds these treks each year at different locations around the state to celebrate our rich history and explore the fascinating stories of Wyoming’s past.

Preregistration was required to attend Trek events. Stories have previously run in the IR announcing the details.