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Home » Travel » United States » Montana

50,000 Silver Dollar Bar Haugen Montana

Published: Feb 5, 2014 · This post may contain affiliate links

As you drive along I-90 in Western Montana you can't help but see the billboards for the 50,000 Silver Dollar Bar.

50,000 Silver Dollar Bar Haugen Montana

 

You start to wonder what in the heck the 50,000 Silver Dollar Bar is and is it worth a visit. Well, I am here to tell you that YES it is so worth a visit!

 

If you are picturing a bar with sparkling money just hanging from every corner you are not far off. Well, the money isn't quite sparkling but it is there.

The 50,000 Silver Dollar Bar is a combination gas station, restaurant, gift shop, and of course a bar.

Let's start with the bar area...

There truly are silver dollars all over the place at the bar! They cover every wall and up to the ceiling inside the bar. I did not count them during my visit but can tell you there are a ton of them.

Keep an eye out for the locals who have permanent seats in the bar 🙂

The gift shop is not to be missed! If you ever need a random, funny, oh my goodness seriously they make this gift this is the place to look.

The 50,000 Silver Dollar Bar began in 1951 when the Lincoln family moved from Libby Montana to Alberton Montana. They built a small bar and named it Cherry Springs after the small creek that runs near the bar. They soon realized that they needed to find a way to get people to stop at the bar. On October 1, 1952, Gerry cut a hole in the bar top and hammered in a silver dollar and inscribed his name and his wife Marie's name under it.

The idea caught on and by December of 1953 over 2,000 people had placed their coins with their names in the bar top. The bar's name was changed to Lincoln's 2,000 Silver Dollar Bar. The original bar is still intact and used today. There are 2,115 pieces and all of the other coins are embedded in boards and displayed around the room. In 1956 the bar was moved 50 miles to Haugan, Montana when the construction of I-90 started.

The bars name continued to change as more and more silver dollars were left at the bar. About 1500 silver dollars are donated each year to the bar. There are coins representing all 50 states, all the Canadian provinces, and 43 foreign countries in the bar.

Of the coins in the bar 10,623 are real silver dollars. The others are Eisenhower dollars which are valued at $1.00. The Silver Dollar Bar celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2002. The great-grandchildren of the original founders now work at the bar.

Wild Thang Sauce

We found local hot sauce with quite colorful names.

John in Bear suit 2

John enjoyed this bear hat and gloves.

The gift shop has a little bit of everything and then some.

There is also a restaurant and a few slot machines in the silver dollar bar in case you want something to eat.

The Silver Dollar Bar can be found at Exit 16 off of I-90 in Haugan, Montana

Million Dollar Bar Sign

Don't worry about getting lost trying to find the Silver Dollar Bar! Just follow their bright yellow billboards on I-90 and they will guide you!

Additional Montana Resources

Polebridge Montana

Glacier National Park Travel Tips

Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument

Grant Kohrs Ranch NHS

Montana National Parks

Check out Phillipsburg, Montana if you are driving across Montana.

More Montana

  • A visit to the Polebridge Mercantile in Polebridge, Montana
  • Practical Travel Tips for visiting Glacier National Park!

About Tammilee

Lifestyle blogger who travels the world and drinks too much Chai tea. Travel blogger, award winning photographer, sunset hunter, Birkenstock girl, bird nerd
You can find Tammilee on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

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Comments

  1. Kayla

    February 05, 2014 at 4:25 pm

    Okay, now THAT is super neat! I would probably be the random tourist standing in the middle just looking up at all the coins. LOL

    I must add this to my to-see list xD

    Reply

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