You’ve seen the movies. The swinging doors. The dusty piano. The guy getting thrown through a window. But the All Come Back Saloon isn’t some Hollywood set piece or a trope from a John Ford flick. It’s real. Or, well, it was real, and the remains of it still sit out there in the high desert of Nevada, specifically in the ghost town of El Dorado Canyon.
History is messy. People like to pretend it's a straight line of dates and treaties, but honestly, it’s mostly just a bunch of people trying to survive in places where they probably shouldn't have been in the first place. The All Come Back Saloon is the perfect example of that grit. It wasn't just a place to grab a drink. It was a hub for miners who spent fourteen hours a day underground in the Techatticup Mine, wondering if the ceiling was going to cave in.
The name itself? It’s kind of a joke, kind of a promise. In a place where people were dying from heatstroke, cave-ins, and literal gunfights over claim jumping, the idea that you’d "all come back" to the bar at the end of the shift was the only optimism most of these guys had.
The Techatticup Connection and Why It Matters
You can't talk about the All Come Back Saloon without talking about the Techatticup Mine. It’s located in Nelson, Nevada. Today, it’s a spot for photographers and people who want to see vintage cars rusting in the sun, but back in the 1860s, it was the Wild West's version of a fever dream.
The mining district was lawless. Like, truly lawless.
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Even the sheriffs didn't want to go down there. Because the mine was so remote and the wealth—gold, silver, copper—was so massive, the area became a magnet for Civil War deserters from both the North and the South. Imagine a bar filled with people who had just run away from a war, only to pick up a pickaxe and fight over a vein of silver. That was the nightly vibe at the saloon.
What actually happened inside?
It wasn't fancy. Most of the structure was built from whatever wood could be hauled in, which wasn't much in the middle of a desert. The drinks were often "rotgut" whiskey, which was basically raw ethanol flavored with anything from tobacco to gunpowder to give it a "kick."
People didn't go there for the ambiance. They went because it was the only place with shade and a sense of community, however violent that community might be. Historical records from the period mention that disputes were settled on the spot. If you look at the walls of some of these preserved structures in El Dorado Canyon today, you can still see the bullet holes. Those aren't for show. They're actual artifacts of a Tuesday night in 1870.
Why the All Come Back Saloon Became a Ghost Town Staple
The decline of the All Come Back Saloon followed the usual trajectory of Western boomtowns. The veins ran dry. The water became an issue. The price of silver shifted. By the time the early 1900s rolled around, the rowdy crowds had thinned out.
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But here is the weird part. It never really disappeared.
Unlike other saloons that were stripped for lumber or burned down in the frequent fires that leveled wooden towns, parts of the saloon and the surrounding camp were preserved by the sheer isolation of the canyon. Then came the movies. Because the location looks so "authentic"—mostly because it actually is—it became a magnet for Hollywood. 3000 Miles to Graceland and Fallout fans might recognize the general aesthetic of the area.
The modern-day reality of the site
If you visit today, you’re looking at a mix of original 19th-century history and 20th-century movie props. It’s a bit of a trip. You have the actual foundations of the mining era sitting right next to a plane crash prop from a film.
The Werly family, who took over the property decades ago, have done a massive amount of work to keep the history of the All Come Back Saloon and the Techatticup Mine alive. They offer tours that go deep into the mountainside. It’s cold in there. Even when it’s 110 degrees outside, the mines stay a consistent 70 degrees. You can see why the miners would finish their shift and head straight to the saloon; they were transitioning from the freezing dark to the blistering heat. The saloon was the middle ground.
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How to Actually Experience This History
Most people just drive past the turnoff on their way to Lake Mohave. Don't do that. If you want to see the All Come Back Saloon and the remnants of the El Dorado mining district, you have to be intentional.
- Timing is everything. Do not go in July unless you have a death wish or a very high-functioning AC unit. October through April is the sweet spot.
- The Mine Tour is the real deal. You can walk through the saloon area for free mostly, but paying for the Techatticup Mine tour gives you the context. You see the quartz veins. You see how narrow the tunnels were. You realize why a drink at the end of the day wasn't a luxury; it was a necessity for their mental health.
- Check the "Museum." The owners have collected an absurd amount of artifacts. Old bottles found in the dirt, rusted tools, and newspaper clippings that detail the murders that happened just outside the saloon doors.
The All Come Back Saloon represents a specific type of American history that isn't sanitized. It’s not a museum with velvet ropes. It’s a dusty, slightly chaotic, and very hot reminder that the West was won by people who were probably a little bit crazy and very thirsty.
The most important thing to remember is that this isn't a theme park. It's a privately owned historical site. When you’re walking through the area where the saloon stood, you’re standing on ground that saw some of the highest murder rates in the country during the gold rush. It’s quiet now, but the energy is still there.
Actionable Steps for Your Visit
- Pack more water than you think. The desert doesn't care about your plans. Even a short walk around the saloon ruins can dehydrate you fast.
- Talk to the guides. Many of the people working there are local history buffs who know stories that aren't on the plaques. Ask about the "Lucky Jim" story or the specific location of the old poker tables.
- Respect the "Junk." Much of what looks like trash—old cans, bits of purple glass, rusted metal—is actually protected historical debris. Don't take "souvenirs."
- Check the weather for flash floods. El Dorado Canyon is a literal drainage pipe for the surrounding mountains. If it's raining twenty miles away, you might be in trouble.
The All Come Back Saloon isn't just a building; it's a survivor. It outlasted the gold, the miners, and the law. Standing there today, looking at the jagged rocks and the silence of the canyon, you get a real sense of why they named it what they did. They just wanted everyone to make it back.