Silver Dollar Bar

A legendary Interstate 90 roadside stop in Haugan, famous for its family-run tavern where more than 80,000 real silver dollars line the bar, walls, and ceiling.

Lincoln's 50,000 Silver Dollar Bar began in 1951 when Gerry and Marie Lincoln moved from Libby to Alberton, Montana, and built a modest tavern called Cherry Springs along Highway 10. Looking for a way to entice travelers to pull over, Gerry cut a circular hole in the bar top on October 1, 1952, hammered a silver dollar into the wood, and carved his and Marie's names beneath it. The gimmick quickly caught on with local miners and loggers, who were traditionally paid in heavy silver dollars that weighed down their pockets (a local legend says this is why Montana loggers wore suspenders). By December 1953, more than 2,000 patrons had added their own coins, prompting the owners to rename the establishment Lincoln's 2,000 Silver Dollar Bar. When the construction of Interstate 90 began in 1956, the Lincolns packed up their business, including the original bar top and over 6,000 silver dollars, and relocated 50 miles west to Haugan, Montana, where it has remained ever since.

Today, the complex is managed by the fourth generation of the Lincoln family, with Brooke Lincoln overseeing the operation. The collection has grown far beyond its original count, now exceeding 80,000 silver dollars. The original wooden bar top remains intact and in use, holding exactly 2,115 silver dollars. As space on the bar ran out, subsequent coins were mounted onto large wooden boards that now cover the walls, pillars, and even the ceilings of the barroom. Every single coin remains the property of the person who left it, or their descendants, who often return decades later to find their names and hometowns hand-inscribed next to their specific dollar. While many of the newer additions are Eisenhower dollars, the collection includes rare historical pieces, including an 1876 seated liberty dollar and more than 10,000 Morgan and Peace silver dollars. A life-sized wooden carving of Abraham Lincoln, nicknamed Old Abe, stands watch over the barroom as a nod to the family name.

The property at Exit 16 on Interstate 90 has expanded over seven decades into a massive roadside oasis. In addition to the legendary barroom, the complex features a restaurant serving classic Montana pub fare, two separate casinos, a convenience store called The Silver Express, and a gas station. It is also home to Lincoln's Silver Dollar Inn, a motel offering lodging for weary highway travelers, and a 5,000-square-foot gift shop, which ranks as the largest souvenir shop in the state of Montana. The atmosphere remains a classic slice of mid-century Americana, where truck drivers, motorcyclists, and road-tripping families gather under the soft glow of the tavern lights, surrounded by walls that glitter with decades of highway history.

Coffee & Craft — Roadside fuel stops curated by Basecamp West. The best coffee shops, craft breweries, diners, and eateries worth the detour on your next Western road trip.