Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1938-06-11

The ghost Of Poker Nell had the
last word as wOrbumen started tear
ing down the building that once
housed the oldest and most notoF4-
GUS saloon I'm Cody, WyO. The old
building had history reading Ike
a Bret Harte novel. IL held q
record number Of "firsts," being
one Of the first saloons and gam
I bling halls In the area, later
converted into the first opera house
/ in Cody and finally becoming one
of the first filling stations there.
The building was torn down to make
way for a modern service station and
therein lies the tale Of Poker Nell's
last laugh"
It was during the growing period
of the west that the old saloon was
built. However, Cody's first hey-day
came during the construction Of the
Shoshone dam in 1907 and it was then
that Poker Nell entered the scene.
Mrs. Katherine Primm, dubbed Blue
Chip Katie" by the boys who tried to
take" her in faro, founded one Of
the towns first establishments of
pleasure in the old building. She and
her husband, Ben, for time had q
virtual monopoly on the custom in
liquor, gambling and license until an
other woman muScled in with similar
CoJdHlAollAA4EAlb Nt1CCJly dCAOoo b4AC DbASCbs
The latter is remembered only as
Poker Nell. Through the years, her
fame has lived in the minds of the
regions old timers for her ability to
keep up a vociferous, croSs-Street ar
gument with her competitor.
During the wild boom years at the
opening of the century there was
plenty Of business for both houses.
However when things were dull, Poker
Nell and Blue Chip Katie would pass
unpleasantries back and forth across
the street to while away the hours.
"Acid" Words Recalled
Men who worked on the dam still
remember the "acid" of their comments
and tell of richly increased vocabu-
laries after listening to the women
exchange amenities.
However, Nell and Katie never fin
ished their debate and it became only
memory when the town continued
to grow with the subsequent invasion
of dozen more saloons.
Katie PTinm's saloon finally was
into an opera house. The
project, a civic cultural movement led
by Mrs. William F. Cody, wife of
Buffalo Bill" entailed great expense. /
The building had to be remodeled, |
braced and counter-braced to make the
opera house substantial enough so /
b4Acle IAAC fO4CCo "a bAAC etSVOA1 IOdAA Nc
heard above the vibrations set up by
winds which swept down from Shoshone
canyon.
But the town didn't take to culture.
Mrs. Cody's well-meant plans could
overcome the wind but they couldn't
overcome the preference Of customers
who chose to find their entertainment
IN Cody's IA saloons.
Poker Nell Disappeared
Meanwhile, Poker Nell had disap-
peared from the scene.
In the years that passed, the old
building was idle most Of the time
and finally again was rehabilitated to
become one Of Cody's first filling
stations.
Uniformed attendants dispensed
gasoline, oil and information where
Blue Chip Katie once served drinks,
lealt game and provided companions {
or her lonesome, hard-hving Gus
omerS.
But the old building wasn't "chic"
nough to achieve rating among
,reSent-day service stations and wreck
rs set to tearing 1t down so that 1t
ould be q more modern job.
Meanwhile the building that housed
'oker Nell's place still stands across
he street and now houses an cleo
rical supply shop.
Wrinkied, wiry old timers, who were
he most interested spectators watch
az the dismantling of the building,
ointed out that it looked like Poker
Tell got the last word after all-Katie's
Id place was going to be replaced by
filling station.