PRESCOTT, Ariz. - Prescott, Arizona, 1870s: Montezuma street is home to more than 40 saloons on one block. Whiskey Row is born.
Miners, cowboys, gamblers and settlers turn the then Arizona Territory Capital into a rowdy town.
One place stands out: The Palace Saloon. It's a place where town constable Virgil Earp frequented, where Wyatt Earp stopped before Tombstone, where Doc Holliday had a winning streak playing poker.
That history along with all of Whiskey Row was lost in July of 1900. A fire rips through the town, leaving nothing but destruction.
One important part was saved, though. Saloon goers hooked up the Brunswick bar to horses.
“They got it all out across the street to safety and preceded to drink," said Martha Mekeel, proprietor of The Palace Saloon.
The Palace Saloon reopened in 1901, and to this day, you can pony up to that same bar in Arizona’s oldest operating pub.
“When I walked through those saloon doors, I was just stunned. I had to turn around, walk out because I thought I had just traveled back in time," said Mekeel.
From the creaky old wooden floors, to bullet holes in the ceiling, to the one of the finest selections of bourbon and whiskey in the state.
“It’s a time capsule," said Mekeel.
There’s a few features from the past that often go unnoticed, like something that’s hidden under this bar ledge.
“It’s a curious little button and I found out its purpose was so you can press it and summon a soiled dove down from her crib," said Mekeel.
Those cribs are now offices housed up these stairs.
Another hidden feature is behind an elevated door—wild west security.
“You would put a chair up here and a pit boss with a loaded shotgun would make sure you weren’t cheating on the gambling," said Mekeel.
The history continues in the basement, which is strictly off limits to the public, but we are taking you below ground.
Old brick walls, dirt floors and incredible relics from the past collect dust below the main floor.
“They say a lot of illegal things were happening down here," said Mekeel.
Including a speakeasy during prohibition.
The original owner, Bob Brow, housed exotic animals inside an old stable in the basement.
“He had peacocks and llamas and emus," said Mekeel.
One room houses the most interesting aspect of the basement.
“They needed a temporary jail cell after the fire," said Mekeel.
That old Prescott drunk tank still remains.
When you push through the old saloon doors and step foot in this establishment on Whiskey Row, you are truly transported back to the wild west.