alking through the doors of the Long Branch Saloon is like walking into the past. The saloon was purchased by Chalkley Beeson and William Harris in 1878. Through their efforts it became the most popular, refined meeting place of cattlemen. The original Front Street buildings were destroyed by fire in 1885. The current building's facade was developed using historic photographic materials of the original buildings. The present day saloon at the museum complex does not duplicate the interior of the original, but is consistent with the interior of the saloons of that time. The authentic two piece bar was built in 1881 by Brunswick Corporation, it is hand carved from Cherry wood. There are two Golden Eagles that sit atop the back bar, the eagles were a part of Chakley Beeson's collection. They are 100 years old; it is illegal for anyone to own eagles except for Indians and Museums that acquired them before the 1940's. The original Long Branch had entertainment, performed by Chalkley Beeson's five-piece orchestra. Today the stage in the Long Branch is filled nightly, during the summer, with The Long Branch Variety Show performers. There are singers and dancers and the stars of the show, Chalkley Beeson and Miss Kitty. The character Miss Kitty comes from our more recent history when Gunsmoke played for over 20 years on television. The character of Miss Kitty was loosely based on the Dodge City entertainer Dora Hand, during the daytime in the summer, an interpreter tells the story of Dora's life in Dodge City. The Long Branch Saloon served milk, tea, lemonade, Sarsaparilla, all types of alcohol including champagne, and of course beer. Anheuser-Busch was the original beer served in the Long Branch. Everything was kept cold in the winter from ice that came from the river and in the summer it was shipped out on the train from the mountains in Colorado. Today you can still "belly up to the bar" and order an ice cold Budweiser beer or a sarsaparilla bottled for the museum with our own label.