The early day dispensers of adult beverages were a creative bunch when it came up with ways to attract customers. In early 1880s, Joe Hale, co-owner of the Pioneer, for a brief time had a bear cub at the bar. Initially, all went well, until the cub grew much larger and had to be turned loose for the safety of Hale and his patrons.
In 1907, B.R. Zimmerman, proprietor of the Gem Saloon, installed a new upright player paino—just not any kind. It was an electric player piano, if no one was available to play it, one just pushed a button and it played by itself. As one observer noted, “The instrument is a beauty, and should prove a winner in public favor.”
1912, the Blue Goose Saloon, to make its establishment stand out from others—after there were more saloons than houses of worship—installed the town’s first outdoor neon sign. The sign did not have a long life, as the following summer it developed an electric short, which started a fire and burned down a portion of the 600 block in Susanville.
