Red Dog Saloon, Juneau, Alaska

“It is the music which makes it what it is; it is the music which changes the place from the rear room of a saloon in back of the yards to a fairy place, a wonderland, a little comer of the high mansions of the sky.”

Upton Sinclair

A few years back, Joe and I took a cruise on the Norwegian Star up the Inside Passage in Alaska. What a special trip this was for us. It was a dream come true getting to see the beauty of Alaska. God graced Alaska with a natural beauty that is truly beyond belief. When we arrived, we were surprised the weather was as nice as it was in the beginning of September. It was chilly but nothing compared to what we imagined.

Juneau was our second stop, after Ketchikan on our trip. Juneau has been Alaska’s capital city since 1906. What makes this capital so interesting and unusual is there are no roads connecting this city to the rest of the state. You can only get there by a boat or an airplane.

As we explored this lovely city nestled at the base of Mount Juneau, we came across the Red Dog Saloon. We were walking up Franklin Street and heard the music wafting out to the road, drawing crowds of happy vacationers from the cruise ship to enter. The swinging red doors were busy that day as people entered and left.

When we stepped into the Saloon, we found our friends from the cruise ship at a table and they asked us to join them. They had a table close to the piano player who was dressed in an old timey bartender outfit. He was a good piano player playing a mixture of old timey country and old time swing music and he was funny as all get out. He was a hoot and we laughed till we cried. A waitress came to our table dressed in brothel apparel and gave us a menu and took our drink order. We got a kick out of the menu. In the liquor section on the menu it described your choices as cheap shit, expensive shit, regular shit, and really expensive shit. Their signature drink was called at “Duck Fart” which has Kahlua, Baileys, and Whiskey. The food menu was great with great sounding appetizers, salads, Angus burgers, steaks, salmon, and even reindeer sausage.

This is a fascinating place to grab a bite to eat or just enjoy a liquid refreshment. It is a fun and rowdy atmosphere which made for an enjoyable visit. There was so many interesting things to see looking around around the saloon. Looking up, we noticed the embossed tin ceiling that dates back to the turn of the century. Looking down we noticed how the floor was covered with a layer of sawdust. The sawdust gave the saloon a nice smell of fresh cut wood. The walls are loaded with memorabilia and elaborate trophy wildlife mounts. There is a mounted bear over the bar that was shot during the mining era when the saloon first opened. They even have a mounted Walrus Oosik. Oh my. Now that is a novelty. They also have displayed paper currency that is signed by miners from around the world and there was also writing on the walls.

One main object of interest is the a mounted Winchester that is said to have been Wyatt Earp’s gun. The story of the gun was the US Marshall was uncomfortable with Wyatt Earp’s notoriety as a gunslinger and asked him to check it when in town. When he left Juneau on the USS Senator at 5 am on June 29, 1900, the US Marshall's office wasn’t open so he left the gun. That part is all accurate. Now what is assumed to be true is that an employee of the Territorial Museum racked up a large debt with the Red Dog Saloon and used the gun as collateral to pay off his debt.

The original owners of the Red Dog Saloon were Earl and Thelma (Pederson) Forsythe who opened this pub during the Gold Rush Days. They made this saloon world famous while providing dancing and when they introduced the long time entertainer, “Ragtime Hattie” who played the piano wearing white gloves and silver dollar halter top. She was a big draw to this fine establishment.

Then during the Territorial days, Gordi Kanouse, who owned the saloon for twenty years, decided they needed more business so he met the tour boats with his mule that was decorated with a sign that said, “Follow my ass to the Red Dog Saloon.” I an only imagine that he was quite the character.

In 2008, the Saloon was purchased by a group of local Juneauites who wanted to provide hospitality, fellowship, and entertainment to tired travelers and local patrons. In 2012, they added a mercantile to the saloon that carried souvenirs and apparel to buy.

If you are in Juneau, this is a must stop. The restaurant is open year round for lunch and dinner and their hours are from 11 am to 11 pm seven days a week. Look them up at: www.reddogsaloon.com. They are located at 278 E. Franklin Street, Juneau, Alaska. We hope to make it back to see this famous saloon again sometime and enjoy some more time here.

Till next time. Bye for now.

Update: With the COVID 19,  the restaurant is closed for now. You can still order their products on line and they would appreciate your business.