THE WILD WEST

May 27, 2023 Opinion

In the US, the Wild West was given its moniker for areas in the Mississippi River known for lawlessness and famous for cowboys, pioneers, gamblers, gunslingers, outlaws, shootouts, and gangs. Here in the Mountain City, when you say Wild West, it only means one thing, the drinking
place famed for its drunken brawls, country sounds and the legendary horse with a saddle. The urban legend is that, the place, at the peak of its fame, was the greatest bar on earth, where patrons were assured to have a good time, regardless of the circumstances you had when you arrived.

For country music lovers, the place was a goldmine, with the love of the city for honkytonk bars, rooted in the passion for cowboys and anything country. The zeal for county music maybe blamed to the Americans, who played country sounds all the time, and its novelty, picked up by the locals.
The iconic Juliana Building is a legend on it own, with its architecture, elegance and accessibility to town and added to its features, it became the home for the Wild West, the bar where hardened
cowboys partied till the wee hours of the morning.

Unfortunately, I have only been to the famed Wild West, once, on a drunken night when one friend had the brilliant idea to get a last round of drinks at the Wild West. I was too drunk to protest, but am sure even if I were sober, I would have said yes to going to the place, as the crazy stories I have heard about its spirited customers was enough motivation to see it live in action. We climbed the stairs to the bar I remember seeing a horse with a saddle, but did not have the strength to get on it.

My friend and I sat with acquaintances and had beers, the place was dimly lit, smoky and musky with multiple floors (if I remember right). I vaguely remember a band playing, we were probably top wasted to listen or I was imagining things but we left the bar early morning, heady from the drinks and smoke. Then I never returned, until I heard it closed and rued that I never returned, not knowing what I missed really, but was sure it was something. I deplored my one and only
hazy memory of the place, too drunk to elaborate but sure I had a grand time.

I likewise developed a love for country music and remember watch CMTV, marveling at the story telling it gave compared to the MTV channel. My journey with country music, I owe to a restaurant I worked in in my college days, but that is a different story, let me get back what I think I remember of the Wild West. Years passed and many other bars opened shop, n the recent years, it resurrected and is now at the Agrix Building at Bokawkan, but not as wild as the original days it had, a tamer
version of the original.