43 Years Ago
The whoopee, shoot-em-up, wild west days are over at the Golden Eagle Saloon.... Two young men in white hats, Ken Hruska and Jim Riss, took the lounge over in July of 1980 and decided there was not enough room in that bar for both the bankers and the bikers. The rowdies would have to leave."
Golden Transcript - November 17, 1981
The article went on to explain that the bar's predecessor, Big M Lounge, had been a popular place for "motorbike hoods, drug-pushers, and a variety of such persons" The Golden Police reported that they would only send officers to that bar in pairs. They added that one person had "his throat slit open by a broken beer bottle."
The previous summer, Golden Mayor Frank Leek had opposed issuing a new cabaret license, even with new owners, because of the bar's sordid reputation. "People used to come out of the Big M Lounge 'shooting.'" By November of 1981 he was cautiously optimistic, saying the new owners were doing "an excellent job."
The Big M Lounge
Council had voted unanimously to suspend the license for Big M Lounge in May of 1980. One Councilor had hesitated because it would leave yet another empty storefront in downtown Golden. Bill Holland of the Holland House (predecessor to the Table Mountain Inn) had appeared before Council asking that the license be revoked, rather than suspended. He expressed dismay at the concern about an empty storefront. "I'd much rather see the place blown to Guinea."
Steve Steinhoff, owner of Steve's Corner, a clothing store, addressed the council and told what he thought it was like to do business next door to the M-Lounge. He said that for the past several years, he has had to deal with people urinating and vomiting outside his store. He said he has had to clean up broken bottles and broken store windows.
Golden Transcript - May 13, 1980
"I have observed child abuse and drug abuse" outside the bar, he told the council. He also said that his female employees were harassed by bar patrons and were afraid to walk unescorted to their cars after work.
The Golden Eagle Saloon operated until 1993, when Bart Bortles re-opened the spot as Woody's Wood-Fired Pizza (which has been a raging success for 31 years).
Thank you to Wendy Weiman for sponsoring Golden History Moments for the month of November.
