Act 1 – Roadhouse Oasis
Walt Callahan, a.k.a. “Uncle Walt,” buys the building and liquor license and becomes the first owner of the establishment, known then as “The Stagecoach Inn.” He starts a weekly summer rodeo on the side of the bar where locals, including the valley’s young men returning from WWII, dudes and tourists mix. A bustling social oasis in summer, the bar scene dwindles to hard-core locals in winter when the bar serves up potlucks and impromptu dances, an antidote to cabin fever. Pull up a bar stool to see how the Wild West was fun!
Act 2 – Tavern Tensions
Teton Village takes its first steps toward becoming a world-class ski resort, attracting an influx of hipsters to Jackson Hole to work, play and live. Many wind up in Wilson. Though distant, the polarizing forces of the national counter-culture movement and Vietnam War trickle into the valley and the Stagecoach Bar, where tensions rise as the hippies and the cowboys size up one another. Walt’s rodeo moves to town and the weekly entertainment void is filled by The Stagecoach Band, which fills the bar with music and dance every Sunday night.
Act 3 – Hip Hole in the Wall
The Stagecoach Band gains fame and packs the bar with folks of varied ages and backgrounds. The Jackson Hole Mountain Resort at Teton Village hits its stride and the valley’s year-round economy begins to thrive. Wilson gets a reputation as a “hip zip” as the second-home market booms in the 90s. A new tradition, Disco Night on Thursdays, grows to match the popularity of The Stagecoach Band shows on Sundays.
Act 4 – Eclectic Watering Hole
Daring downhill mountain bikers, rocketing down single track trails and over jumps, descend from Teton Pass to join the mix, becoming the latest group to find a home at the Coach. The Sunday-night Coach Band and its audience are older now, having celebrated their 42nd anniversary this year, but they still attract a dedicated group of fans. The younger crowds on Thursday’s Disco Night now surpass the Sunday scene. The bar, music and dance continue to attract the wealthy and the working class, the young and old, the cowboy and the hippy, creating an eclectic community that defies and defines western stereotypes.
The Characters
Dail Barbour | Bill Briggs | Clair Carlson | Andre Castignoli
Rob Cheek | Claire Fuller | Alan Henderson | Derrik Hufsmith
Amelia Hufsmith | Jack Huyler | Wayne Johnson | Christine Langdon
Clyde Mason | Pam McCool | Bill Nash | Sydney Nash | Warren Ostler
Martha Saunders | Billy Saunders | Morrison Simms
Humanities Scholars
Hal Cannon
Andrew Gulliford
Robert Righter
David Romtvedt
Sherry Smith