Justin Sinclaire's Blog: The Bay Area's Oldest Saloons

In 1848, the discovery of gold in Northern California unleashed a flood of miners into the San Francisco Bay Area. Prospectors from around the world sailed into the bay with hopes of striking it rich in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. During this time, many folks enjoyed passing time indulging on various libations at local saloons. Drinking and gambling in saloons was common in the late 1800's and three of the many saloons dating back to 1851 are still in operation today.

As ships sailed into San Francisco harbor, many of them were quickly abandoned and deserted by their sailors who sought riches to the east. According to the saloon's website, http://www.oldshipsaloon.com/ In 1849 a three-masted ship known as the "Arkansas" on its way into the bay was damaged off the edge of Bird Island now known as Alcatraz. The ship was then towed to Yerba Buena cove off the infamous Barbary Coast. The ship sat landlocked for two years until entrepreneur Joe Anthony cut a door into the hull and converted the ship into a saloon--The Old Ship Ale House.

By 1859, landfill had entombed the old ship and the upper portion of the ship was converted into a brick hotel. The saloon continued to operate in the belly of the Arkansas which would become known as the Old Ship Saloon. The saloon became known for shanghaied patrons who drank drug-induced liquor waking up on ships sailed at sea. The earthquake and fires of 1906 caused considerable damage to the structure and was rebuilt into a modern brick building. In the 1940's, the upstairs brothel catered to the troops before they left for WWII. The saloon was remodeled in 1992 and today resembles a modern-day bar.

The First and Last Chance Bar is Oakland's oldest continuously operated business. The saloon's website explains that what was a bunkhouse for oyster bed farmers became J.M. Heinold's Saloon that opened in 1883 by Johnnie Heinold. Built in 1880 from timbers of an old whaling ship, The saloon served seafaring, waterfront men and servicemen who left through the Port of Oakland. Notably, a young schoolboy known as Jack London studied at the bar at the age of twelve years old; London later became an ice boy for the bar. Appealing to London's ambition, Heinold lent London money to attend college at the University of California. London would later return to the saloon where he would write notes for his novels: The Sea Wolf and The Call of the Wild. http://www.heinoldsfirstandlastchance.com/

The bar still has a rustic and original impression as it did so many years ago. The ceiling is lined with old business cards, soldier's hats, and mementos of years past. Many of the items in the saloon are originals such as the bar, stools and the wood burning stove. It appears as if there was once a fire due to the blackened ceiling, yet the effects are due to years of oven smoke, gas lamps and cigarettes. The quake of 1906 sunk the the middle of the floor. Efforts to shore up the floor were futile, but the tilt provides an ambience of the old west. The bar still uses gas lighting and is California's only commercial operation to use them. The saloon's name changed in the 1920's to the First and Last Chance Bar due to dry cities such as Alameda and the last stop for servicemen leaving for war through the nearby Port of Oakland.

The Clayton Club was built in 1873 by Jacob Rhine, the structure at the time was a hotel, a saloon, and an ice cream parlor. At the time named the National Saloon in 1898 then later sold in 1905, the new owner renamed it to the Clayton Club Saloon. Carl Berendsen who bought the bar had another structure imported from San Francisco, had it transported it to Clayton where he joined the two structures. The bar still has the look and feel of an old western saloon. Cowboy boots hang from the ceiling, old pictures and guns are mounted throughout. The Clayton Historical Society describes that the Clayton Club Saloon is city's oldest continuously operated business http://claytonhistory.org/claytonclubsaloon.aspx. Traditionally every spring, the bar holds a chili cook-off contest. Proprietor Steve Barton says, "The Clayton Club was one of three saloons on Main street back in the old days...drinkin' was something that people just like to do back then."

In the 1960's, a tradition began after regulars passed away, their boots would be hung from the ceiling in remembrance of them. The Clayton Club Saloon is one of the areas richest historical treasures and is frequently filled with patrons and live music. Sitting at a bar, conversing with friends, bartenders and strangers is an event that dates back several hundred years. The Bay Area's historical saloons that are still in operation are tributes to early California and living remnants of the Gold Rush era.