Why a historic saloon in The Dalles has a huge collection of John Englehart landscape paintings

Entering the historic Baldwin Saloon in The Dalles is like traveling back in time, thanks to its mahogany backbar, antique safe, and 1877 structure.

However, what draws the most attention are the thirty unique oil paintings that cover the saloon’s walls from ceiling to wainscoting, many of which were created by landscape artist Joseph John Englehart.

Although a lot about Englehart is still unknown, he painted hundreds of realistic landscapes of the American West in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

He stated, at the very least, that he was born in Chicago in 1867.

The author of a book about Englehart, The Lightning Painter, Jennifer Thiele, stated, “We’re not entirely sure about his true origins or history.” He said that because his lineage was completely lost in the Great Chicago Fire, he had no written record of it when he migrated to the West Coast. We were unable to determine his actual origins or connect him to any family in the Chicago region.

Thiele used local business directories and census data to follow Englehart’s whereabouts. As a painter, he journeyed across Oregon, Washington, California, and Colorado, frequently lodging in saloons and brothels along the way.

Englehart actually spent some time in 1903 at the Baldwin Saloon.

Franklin Saloon, January 15, 2025. The bar, housed in an 1877 structure in The Dalles, has a sizable collection of historic paintings, including perhaps two dozen by landscape painter Joseph John Englehart. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Englehart focused on painting the American West.Graves, Mark

According to Thiele, he was referred to as a lightning painter because of how quickly he produced these landscape paintings of varying sizes. He worked on a number of well-known and commercially marketable locations, including Yosemite and Crater Lake.

It appears that Englehart was also a bit of a hustler. There is proof that he falsified paintings by more well-known artists by taking a postcard photo, altering it, and signing it with a fictitious name that sounded like the actual artist’s.

According to Thiele, we discovered that he was actually going by 23 distinct variants of either Joseph Englehart or John Englehart’s name. In addition, he was using whole separate names. According to one theory, he painted merely to get enough money for his accommodation and drink, which always came first.

Despite leaving a trail of three spouses that he either divorced or abandoned, Englehart did not seem to have any children. When he passed away alone in 1915 and was laid to rest in an unmarked tomb in Oakland, California, he was still legally married to the third.

Thiele remarked, “I think he pickled himself and died young because of his lifestyle and heavy drinking.” He was only 47.

That one of the biggest public collections of Englehart’s artwork wound up in a saloon may therefore be appropriate.

An undated photo of The Dalles’ historic Baldwin Saloon.Wasco County Pioneer Association and the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Museum

An account of the Baldwin

Inside the structure at the intersection of Court and East First streets, the first Baldwin Saloon opened its doors in the 1870s.

Long believed to have been constructed in 1876, the Baldwin Saloon building’s comprehensive history was included when the Dalles Commercial Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places.According to that application, the structure was constructed in 1877.

The structure was first used as a restaurant, but James and John Baldwin, brothers, quickly converted it to a saloon, according to the same application.

Although The Oregonian mentions the Baldwin bar in The Dalles as late as 1911, it’s unclear how long it was open as a bar. Later on, the structure served as a grain warehouse, a steamboat office, a State of Oregon seasonal employment office, and even a coffin storage facility for the neighboring Callaway Mortuary.

The building was acquired by saddle makers Garth and Evelyn Bonney in 1962, and they established Bonney Saddle Shop there. After the Bonneys retired in 1991, Mike Linebarger and Tracey Ramsey, who were married at the time, purchased the building and converted it into a restaurant bearing the famous Baldwin name.

The original fir flooring was repaired, the brick walls were revealed, and the acoustic ceiling tiles were taken out by the current owners. To give the restaurant a more historic air, an antique bar counter was built.

Ramsey claimed that the Baldwins were influenced by the design of McCormick & Schmick’s and Jake’s Seafood in Portland, where her ex-husband had previously worked. (According to Ramsey, Jake’s also features paintings by Englehart on the walls.)

“We noticed nudists or landscapes in the old photos of other establishments from that era,” Ramsey remarked. We reasoned that we should search for landscapes or bar nudes if we wanted to be unique.

For the bar, they gathered a number of nude and flowing-gown women’s paintings, including pieces by Wilbur Hayes, Astley David Middleton Cooper, and Edgar Martin Keller.

However, after seeing one of Englehart’s paintings in an antique shop, the pair fell in love with his creations. They started buying his artwork at flea markets and auctions. When they had one of his items, they would notify antique retailers throughout Oregon.

Englehart’s paintings of Mount Hood, Mount Adams, Mount Rainier, Crater Lake, and Snoqualmie Falls are part of the Baldwin’s collection.

The restaurant’s artwork gained so much recognition that Linebarger had history brochures created.

According to Ramsey, many individuals would drop in for a beverage but only to view the artworks. It always seemed to me like a marketing gimmick.

Before selling the structure and eatery to Molli and James Martin, who also own Sunshine Mill Winery in The Dalles, in August 2020, Linebarger and Ramsey ran the Baldwin.

The sale included the paintings, which are now a recognizable feature of the eatery.

The restaurant eventually shuttered, despite the Martins’ best efforts to run it at a reduced capacity throughout the epidemic.

Today at the Baldwin Saloon

Following a few brief pop-up versions, the company reopened in November under the previous name, Baldwin Saloon, but with new management.

Although the building is still owned by the Martins, Katie Greenhoot and her partner Arius Blaze currently operate the Baldwin. To make room for a pool table, shuffleboard, and vintage bowling arcade game, they removed a few of the booths. To create seating locations for more private discussions, they retained the majority of the high-backed booths.

According to Greenhoot, we intended to reopen the establishment and return it to its original use as a saloon, which is really a community center. You can sense that it’s its history. Thus, right away, we’re dealing with a platform that encompasses its history, mystique, and romance.

Naturally, they also retained the paintings.

The Baldwin Saloon, located at 205 Court St. in The Dalles, is open Wednesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. until midnight. The saloon is located at @BaldwinSaloon on Facebook and Instagram.

Here is Oregon and The Oregonian/OregonLive are covered by Samantha Swindler. You may reach her at oregonian.com/sswindler.

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