Dodgy history, but who can say
In some ways we all might stray
So lift a cup to rip-roaring times
Of those vibrant frontier climes.
Of course, today's vibrant is yesterday's gritty survival, yes? Well, without getting all Robert Servicey on you, suffice to say that the Red Onion Saloon is still trafficking on its colorful reputation.
It claims to be listed as a National Register Building, but I could not find it in the database, so rather wonder if they're not marketing on the Historic District Contributing Property cachet. Should an actual listing be produced, obviously, this waymark needs to move.
Meanwhile, the building DESERVES historic recognition -- singularly or part of the District.
Let the dance hall music play!
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NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK NOMINATION
NFS Form 10-900 USDI/NPS NRHP Registration Form (Rev. 8-86) OMB No. 1024-0018 (
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… CONTRIBUTING RESOURCES: I. BUILDINGS: A total of 167 buildings are listed. The numbers on the descriptive list are illustrated on Map B (2 sheets), entitled "Skagway and White Pass Historic District."
306. Red Onion Saloon, 1898. Two-story frame commercial building with flat roof, drop siding; full glass storefront with double doors, parapet on east and south. Moved in 1914; recent board and batten shed roof addition.
National Park Service: KLONDIKE GOLD RUSH SKAGWAY, DISTRICT OF ALASKA —1884-1912: Building the Gateway to the Klondike Historical and Preservation Data (
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RED ONION SALOON 34 A 1898 (
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A Seattle saloon man, Peter Lawson, built the Red Onion during the fall of 1898 and opened it as Skagway's largest dance hall and saloon. Upstairs was a brothel, a higher class parlor than the adjacent cribs on Yokohama Row and Paradise Alley. After the gold rush era, the two-story, wood frame structure was moved from the southeast corner of Sixth Avenue and State to Second Avenue and Broadway. This move in 1914 required that the facade be placed onto the building's rear which then became the front of the saloon. After local prohibition in 1916, the saloon closed. The exterior has remained unchanged. J. Wrentmore, the present owner who operates the Red Onion bar, the 1898 curio shop, and the Brothel Museum, is currently restoring the structure.
And from the Red Onion Saloon's Official site (
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History
The Red Onion Saloon, now a National Historic Building, was Skagway’s most exclusive bordello. Built in 1897 with planks cut by Captain William Moore, the founder of Skagway, the Red Onion Saloon opened for business in 1898. The saloon served alcohol on the first floor while the upper floor satisfied more than the prospectors thirst. The brothel consisted of ten tiny cubicles, called cribs, each ten foot by ten foot with three exits, one into the hallway and one into each of the adjoining rooms. Each room also had a hole in the floor which connected to the cash register in the bar by means of a copper tube.
In order to keep track of which girls were busy, the bartender kept ten dolls on the back bar, one for each of the girls in each of the rooms. When a girl was with a customer, her doll was laid on its back. When she sent her money down the tube, the doll was returned to the upright position signaling to the waiting prospectors that she was ready for business. The bartender safeguarded the girl’s earnings, usually $5.00, preferably in gold. The girls then utilized the loose floorboards to hide nuggets and private tips.
Because the rooms were divided by single planks toe-nailed into the ceiling and floor not much sound-proofing was provided. To decorate their cribs, the women stretched linen across the rough planks, then glued wall paper to the cloth. Remnants of the original wall papers still cling to those planks. Some of the girls who worked in Skagway were Birdie Ash, Big Dessie, Popcorn Lil, the Oregon Mare, Babe Davenport, Pea Hull Annie, Kitty Faith, the Belle of Skagway and Klondike Kate.
By late 1899, business began to suffer. Most of the women moved north to Dawson which was closer to the gold fields and had big gambling casinos and dance halls. As the railroad became the center of business for Skagway, numerous buildings were moved closer to the depot. The Red Onion was moved in 1914 with one horse from Sixth and State Street to its current Broadway location. Unfortunately, the Onion was dragged around the corner backwards and the front and back of the building had to be removed in order to switch them. During World War II the building was used as an army barracks and in subsequent years housed a laundry, bakery, union hall, television station and gift shop. In 1980, Jan Wrentmore purchased a liquor license and opened the building once more as a saloon.