Pappe’s Saloon in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, 1901
Pappe Saloon in Kingfisher, Oklahoma.
Richard Pappe, Sr. owned a saloon in the 300 block of North Main Street in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, just south of where the Kingfisher Times is situated today. An immigrant from Germany, he and his wife and their 10-month-old son came to the United States in 1882. They made their way to Newton, Kansas, where the couple established a bakery. However, when the Oklahoma Land Rush began in 1889, they, along with hundreds of others, staked their claim to a homestead in Kingfisher, Oklahoma. One of the founders of the city, he and his family and descendants, would achieve the American dream by establishing saloons and several other businesses in the area.
Pappe’s Saloon was established in 1889 in an existing building that had formerly been in an ice cream parlor. At that time, it was just a single-story building. When Oklahoma became a state in 1907, Prohibition was declared, and the business became a cafe. Over the years, a second story was added, and the building has served numerous purposes.
The photos display a long, ornate wooden bar, backed by a large mirror and liquor bottles. Spittoons and a foot rail can be seen at the front bottom of the bar. A large cigar case sat to the right of the long bar. Both ceilings and walls were wallpapered, and posters, paintings, and a calendar adorn the walls. Lighting is provided by lamps hanging from the ceiling. Note on the top photo, towels hanging from the bar. In the “old days,” bars didn’t provide napkins. Customers used the towels to remove the beer foam from their mustaches.
Pappe Saloon in Kingfisher, Oklahoma.
The photos display a long, ornate wooden bar, backed by a large mirror and liquor bottles. Spittoons and a foot rail can be seen at the front bottom of the bar. A large cigar case sat to the right of the long bar. Both ceilings and walls were wallpapered, and posters, paintings, and a calendar adorn the walls. Lighting is provided by lamps hanging from the ceiling. Note on the top photo, towels hanging from the bar. In the “old days,” bars didn’t provide napkins. Customers used the towels to remove the beer foam from their mustaches.
Photos and information, courtesy Pappe Family Website