Palace Bar
Prescott, AZ
Photo courtesy Bill Herzog

Here’s the old A-1 sign outside The Palace Saloon on Prescott’s Whiskey Row. The Palace must have had a little clout to get its name worked into a custom beer sign. The sign may be mid-century, but the saloon behind it goes much farther back. 12-06

The Palace opened on September 21, 1877, when Prescott was still the capital of the Arizona Territory. Wyatt and Virgil Earp, Doc Holliday, and Big Nose Kate were among the Old West characters known to spend time here. The saloon also served as a gambling hall, polling place, mining-claim office, and, during Prohibition, a speakeasy.

A huge fire swept across Whiskey Row on July 14, 1900. As the Palace burned, customers and bartenders carried its 24-foot carved Brunswick bar across the street to Courthouse Plaza. According to the story, drinks continued being served on the grass while flames destroyed the building behind them. Now that is dedication.

The Palace was rebuilt in brick and reopened in 1901. The rescued bar was returned to the new building, where it remains in use today. Over the years, photographs, saddles, guns, and other Western artifacts turned the interior into something of an Arizona history museum with drinks.

UPDATE: Now operating as the Palace Restaurant and Saloon, the Whiskey Row landmark remains open. The original 1877 Brunswick bar still serves customers inside the 1901 building, and the Palace continues its run as Arizona’s oldest frontier saloon. 08-26

Maverick Saloon
Yuma, AZ
Photo courtesy Bill Herzog

The Maverick Saloon on old Highway 80 (4th street) was showing more life than its sign. Many thanks to Bill Herzog for info. 12-06

Inside are pool tables, electronic darts, a jukebox, and plenty of cold beer. The Maverick has long served local workers and travelers passing through this busy stretch of South Fourth Avenue.

The former Denny’s coffee shop building across the road now houses Bubba’s Restaurant, giving this corner another little bit of old roadside architecture.

UPDATE: The Maverick Saloon remains open, and its old highway sign still stands out front. During a monsoon on August 11, 2022, power lines fell onto the roof and started a fire. Yuma firefighters contained the blaze before it could destroy the tavern, and the Maverick lived to pour another round. 08-26

Desert Schooner
Aguila, AZ
Photo courtesy Bill Herzog

Here's another A-1 neon sign. This one was located outside a boarded up bar called the Desert Schooner in Aguila, AZ. They stopped brewing A-1 beer about 1975. This sign is circa 1950's. Many thanks to Bill Herzog for info. 12-06

The Desert Schooner operated at different times as both a roadside cafe and neighborhood tavern. Florence Mae Moody and her husband Floyd were longtime owners, serving travelers, truckers, and local residents along this remote stretch of Arizona highway.

A-1 Brewing Company supplied custom signs like this to busy taverns selling its Phoenix-brewed beer. A-1 stopped brewing around 1975, making the surviving sign nearly as much of a relic as the closed bar beneath it.

UPDATE: The Desert Schooner remains closed and boarded up, but the old building and faded A-1 sign stood along US 60. Despite occasionally being labeled as a Route 66 landmark, this lonely roadside tavern is located well south of the Mother Road. 08-26

Canyon Club
Williams, AZ
Photo courtesy Jodey Elsner

Here’s the vintage neon sign for the Canyon Club, another old roadside watering hole found along Route 66 in downtown Williams. The bright lettering advertises cocktails to travelers passing through town.

The Canyon Club has served locals and highway visitors for decades. Inside is a straightforward neighborhood bar with cold drinks, pool tables, darts, a jukebox, and plenty of old-fashioned dive-bar atmosphere. It sits just down the road from the historic Sultana Bar, making this stretch of Williams a good place to see some classic tavern signs.

UPDATE: The Canyon Club remains open along Route 66. Its vintage neon sign has been restored and continues lighting up the Mother Road after dark. 08-26