Bluebird Inn Tavern

Bickleton's 1887 tavern. The oldest continuously licensed bar in Washington, complete with a century-old Brunswick pool table and poker tables modified for a legendary former owner.

The Bluebird Inn Tavern anchors the tiny crossroads town of Bickleton, standing as the oldest continuously operating tavern in Washington. Constructed in the spring of 1887 by builder Jacob N. Jensen, the wood-frame building originally served as a drugstore and dwelling for C.E. Flower and Dr. Hamilton Blair. By that autumn, the partners converted the space into a saloon where patrons could enjoy a cold beer, play a game of pool, and even get a haircut. It remains the sole commercial structure in town to survive the devastating municipal fires of 1937 and 1947, preserving its original oiled fir floors and historic character. Over the decades, the tavern operated under several names, including the Pastime, the Pool Hall, the Club, and the Bickleton Tavern, before settling permanently on its current moniker.

Inside, the tavern functions as a living archive of Klickitat County ranching history. The centerpiece of the backroom is an 1884 Brunswick pool table, shipped to the tavern in 1903 and still level and active today. Nearby, the wooden poker tables bear semi-circular cutouts along their edges. These modifications were carved for a beloved former owner, 'Skinny' Mains, who grew so round in his later years that he could no longer reach his winnings on a standard flat edge. Today, mother-and-daughter proprietors Nelda and Candice Flores run the establishment, maintaining the strict cash-or-check policy and welcoming visitors with the traditional refrain, 'What brings you to Bickleton?' The walls are decorated with local cattle brands burned directly into the wood paneling, alongside decades of faded local photographs and yellowed newspaper clippings.

The food is straightforward, satisfying tavern fare, highlighted by thick, hand-pressed hamburgers grilled behind the bar and served alongside cold domestic beers or simple pours of whiskey. No fancy cocktail menus or draft towers exist here; the drinks are as unpretentious as the local ranchers who gather daily at the counter. While the town outside is famous as the bluebird capital of the Pacific Northwest, with thousands of hand-built nesting boxes lining the local fence lines, the Bluebird Inn Tavern is the social engine that keeps the community connected. It is a rare, unvarnished survivor of the frontier era, where the wind of the high wheat country stops at the screen door.

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