Genoa Bar and Saloon: Nevada's Oldest Watering Hole

The Genoa Bar & Saloon 

was built in 1853.

Originally the Livingston’s Exchange, alcohol was served after the Mormons left the area in 1857.  In 1884, it was renamed Fettic’s Exchange in 1884, a well known as a “gentleman’s saloon.”  Mr. Fettic served fine wines, liquors and cigars.









The building changed hands 
many times until Willy & 
Cindy Webb bought the 
bar in 2000. 

The Diamond Dust Mirror

has shiny specks of diamond

dust that can be seen when

a flashlight is aimed at it.

The red oil lamp is original

 to the building.  It is lit on

New Year's Eve each year.

This is one of the two Diamond Dust Mirrors brought from Glasgow, Scotland in the late 1840s.  The pair was shipped around the horn of South America to San Francisco and brought to Genoa by covered wagon. The second Diamond Dust Mirror was sold to a movie company in the 1930s.






This section of the bar has
the original pine top.

The finish wore off years ago.

The wood stove is still used

to heat the bar.

Patrons bring in wood to

keep the bar warm in

cold months.

The other lights in the bar
were converted from oil
to electric many years ago.

All kinds of memorabilia

hang on the wall.

Raquel Welch's bra hangs
from the deer's antler.








During a visit to Genoa Bar and Saloon, Raquel was asked to leave her bra.  She insisted that all the other bras be removed before making her donation.

Trap door near pool table leads

 to the cold storage cellar.

Ice was brought to the bar packed in burlap and straw.  It was transported by mule from two small lakes on the nearby mountain.  Drunks were thrown into the cellar to dry off.

Famous visitors include: Mark Twain, President Ulysses S. Grant, Carole Lombard, Clark Gable, Lauren Bacall, Richard Boone, Ron Howard,C liff Robertson,Willie Nelson,  Charlie Daniels, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash,  Slim Pickens, John Denver, The Captain and Tennille and all Nevada Governors.

A picture of Clint Eastwood

when he stopped in for

a cold one.

Movies filmed here include:  The Shootist, Charlie Varrick, Honkytonk Man, Misery and A Place Called Home.

This is a fun bar with a storied past.  If you're in western Nevada, near Carson Valley stop in for a wet one and a fun history lesson.