Party for a purpose, San Antonio-style

About the Buckhorn Saloon and Museum

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About the Buckhorn Saloon and Museum Boasting an amazing array of antlers, fins, and feathers on the walls, a wax museum, and an overall aura steeped in wild-west history, the Buckhorn Saloon and Museum is a party in and of itself.

Consider:

• The Buckhorn Museum is really five museums in one: The Hall of Horns, Hall of Fins, Hall of Feathers, Hall of Texas History Wax Museum, and regular special exhibits.

• The Hall of Horns hosts 1,200 trophy mounts, including a moose with a 67-inch rack.

• When the Buckhorn saloon opened in 1881, its owners enticed patrons by promising to trade antlers they brought in for a shot of whiskey or a beer.

• Affixed to a new display “body” are the 8-foot, 1.5-inch horns from “Old Tex,” said to be the longest of a Texas Longhorn.

• Theodore Roosevelt’s 62-buffalo horn chair, crafted by the father of the establishment’s first owner, is on exhibit.

• You’ll find a 1,056-pound marlin mounted in the Hall of Fins.

• Among other artifacts and collectibles, the Buckhorn houses a church made from 50,000 matchsticks, a saddle belonging to Gene Autry, three shrunken heads from South America, and “thousands of rare oddities.”

• The Saloon’s bar is 120 years old. A world-famous 78-point buck is prominently featured in the center of the backbar mirror.

• Theodore Roosevelt is said to have recruited the Rough Riders at the Buckhorn.

• Rumor has it that the Buckhorn was where Pancho Villa planned the Mexican Revolution.

• Created in 1920s to bring income during prohibition, the Buckhorn’s Curio Store claims to be the “oddest store in the world.”

(Information from www.buckhornmuseum.com and www.roadsideamerica.com)