Sawmill Saloon - Darby, MT

123 N. Main Street, Darby, MT 59829

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Sawmill-Saloon/199941790177450?rf=101942163245912

Located near the southwestern border of Montana and Idaho, along the Continental Divide, sits Darby, Montana.

The location is a quaint and picturesque western setting with a quiet Main Street. The official website for Darby claims the area has some of “the best recreational landscape of the whole country.”

With a population of a little more than 700 people, those who come into the Sawmill Saloon are typically known by name by owner Gary Steinman. A native of Drums, Pennsylvania, Steinman ended up in Montana when he took a job as a forester. He was still working in the business when, in 1992, he bought the saloon. Today, it’s his full-time business.

Originally built in 1914 as a bank (with a hotel above), the building has been a saloon since prohibition ended in 1933.

“People float in and out,” Steinman states, but the establishment has its group of regulars. Pizzas and fish and chips are a big draw along with the offerings of a full bar. There’s also the sharing of fishing stories. Friends post photos of their big catches on the saloon’s Facebook page.

With at least five fish and wildlife park sites within 10 miles of the city, it’s definitely an understatement when Steinman says, “hunting and fishing are big here.” He sees an influx of tourists during the summer and then again in the winter when the snow is good and skiing is the attraction.

The attraction inside the saloon is cribbage and billiards. Steinman’s daughter, Morgan, got her start playing pool here. According to InsidePool Magazine, she began by standing on milk crates around the table. The winner of numerous championships, today she is part of the Women’s Professional Billiard Association (WPBA).