Dive Idaho Tapestries
Description: The old building on Chinden Boulevard was relocated to Garden City, Idaho, from New Plymouth in 1949, and The Ranch Club opened its doors the following year. It was the only bar in town with slot machines, that is, until gambling was banned in Idaho in 1953. A few years after that, the owner commissioned a giant palomino with a cowboy and lasso to stand atop the bar's sign. At some point, the cowboy was ripped off in a storm, and eventually, the horse was replaced as people kept trying to climb up and sit on the saddle. The new palomino has stood strong ever since and has remained a landmark of the rowdy cowboy bar, even during the years spent as a gay bar.
Description: Historic Ranch Club in Garden City, Idaho** Relocated from New Plymouth in 1949, The Ranch Club opened on Chinden Boulevard as Garden City’s only bar with slot machines—until Idaho banned gambling in 1953. Famous for its landmark palomino horse sign, the bar weathered decades of change, including a stint as a gay bar, while remaining a beloved symbol of cowboy culture and local nightlife.
