Arizona's oldest bar is still serving drinks 149 years later

Located on Whiskey Row in Prescott, the Palace Restaurant and Saloon is exactly what you'd think of when you think of the Wild West. With a nearly entirely wooden interior, decorative drop-ceiling tile and a 149-year-old bar table, it looks like something out of an old Western movie.

In fact, back in the day, the Palace Saloon was the drinking spot of a few famous cowboys who inspired an iconic Western movie, which was filmed in Arizona.

The Palace Restaurant and Saloon opened in 1877 within Prescott's Whiskey Row, which was known for its nightlife even in the 1800s.

Prescott served as the Territorial Capital from 1864-67, before Tucson was considered the Territorial Capital. Then, in 1877, just as the Palace Saloon opened, the title of Territorial Capital returned to Prescott.

Farmers, gold seekers, outlaws, merchants and lawyers all flocked to Prescott in search for new beginnings and land through the federal Homestead Act, which incentivized settlers to move West for 160 acres of free land.

It's position on Prescott's iconic Whiskey Row made the Palace Saloon a prime spot for those looking for a good time. Most famously, the Palace Saloon attracted Wyatt Earp, Virgil Earp and Doc Holliday, three of the characters who inspired the movie "Tombstone."

Before making it to Tombstone, the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday found themselves in Prescott at the Palace Saloon, where it's rumored that Holliday drank after a big win gambling, according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Although the Palace Saloon likely hosted some rowdy cowboys during its time, the bar stayed unscathed and in business until 1900, when a fire destroyed Whiskey Row and much of the town since the buildings were mostly built out of wood at the time.

Patrons of the Palace Saloon famously carried the Brunswick-brand bar table out of the fire in order to preserve elements of the bar.

Since most of Whiskey Row was destroyed, the eager Palace Saloon owner, Bob Brow, rebuilt the Palace Saloon alongside Ben M. Belcher and Barney Smith, owners of the former Cabinet Saloon, alongside a hotel, Chinese restaurant and barber shop in the back of the saloon.

Though the original building was destroyed in the fire, the Palace Restaurant and Saloon still sits on Prescott's iconic Whiskey Row with the original Brunswick-brand bar table saved from the fire.