Mike Williams sits at his refinished bar. He has done all the wood work and collected all the memorabilia. Over Mike's right shoulder is the first electric cash register from the Mercantile in Seeley Lake. Barbed wire from a defunct prison camp in Siberia, knives with sheaths made of walrus hide and artifacts from a battlefield in the 1800s found by his father decorate the bar.
The Williamses have refurbished the outside of the old bar and cafe formally known as The Wilderness Bar and Cafe and most recently Montana Charlie's. The Montana Charlie's sign is still in the left corner on the north end of the building.
Undated photos of the outside of the Wilderness Cafe and gas station (left).
The north end of the building has a pool table, old jukebox that still plays old records, logging, tack and a collection from the days Williams' father worked for the railroad. All of the wooden decorations, including the door Williams built.
Original door between the bar and restaurant still has the window etched with the name Krystal Pistol Saloon. Three people from Las Vegas bought it and ran it for a couple of years and named it the Krystal Pistol. Mike remembers the couple that owned the bar when it was the Krystal Pistol. She shot at her boyfriend during one of the wild nights. Locals will say the bullet is still in the wall.
SWAN VALLEY - Nine years ago, Mike Williams and his wife Mai purchased what used to be known as the Wilderness Bar and Café and later Montana Charlie's south of Condon at mile marker 36.5 on Highway 83. They have recreated the bar and turned it into a functional museum. They also added on to the restaurant, making it their home. The Williamses offer tours and will rent the place out for parties and gatherings.
In the 1940s, Babe Wilhelm homesteaded on the land and started The 33 Bar. The land also had a gravel pit on Highway 83.
Right after World War II the Wilhelms told Mike's father Bob that he should come to the Swan Valley to work at the sawmill; they also told him the hunting and the fishing was good. Bob moved his family in 1948 from Ellensburg, Wash. when Mike was two-years old. Bob worked at the Wineglass Sawmill on the Gordon Ranch.
Babe and a friend named Remick built the bar in the 1960's and added the restaurant not long after. The café was built separate and connected in later years. It was named Wilderness Bar and Café. Mike remembers visiting the place many times when he was young.
The business went through several owners. The Wilhelms had three sons. Ting, as everyone called him, married Mike's mother's sister Ruth. They ran the Wilderness Bar and Café and gas station in the early 1970s.
In the early 1980s owners Owen and Laura Girven operated the bar and café as well as a motel and RV park named the Wilderness Village.
"After that people would buy it thinking they could do the same thing [with the motel and RV park]. But the water table is so high they never could put in enough septic system to satisfy the county," said Williams. "I've got rolls of architect drawings with everything planned down to the square foot. I'm sure it was sold without telling everything each time."
The Wilderness Bar and Café was one of the primary establishments in the area. When the motel was operational, it was the only place to stay in the valley said Mike.
When Mike and Mai purchased the property the last commercial use was 15 years prior when it was being operated as Montana Charlie's. The motel is no longer standing but the Williamses still rent out four lots in a trailer court.
When they purchased the property, Mike's dream was to make lodgepole furniture.
"I always thought this [the bar area] would be a fantastic showroom and have people stop in," said Mike. "But I haven't had time to do that."
Instead Mike rebuilt it into a complete bar. When he purchased it there was nothing in the bar. There was a karaoke machine, and a few plates and cups piled in the corner.
"It's basically a man cave," said Mike. "One of a kind."
Mike recovered the bar top, rebuilt the front of the bar and outfitted the bar with purchases from garage sales and auctions. He also included items of historical importance from the area, his family and from his travels.
Mike did all of the woodwork including making all of the doors and adding unique touches like a hat rack, tables, mirrors and the bar stools. He said usually the piece of wood comes first and evolves from there. He uses his band sawmill to mill the lumber and flatten on side of round logs he used for decoration.
The Williamses added their living quarters on the south end of the old building. The structure is now 90 feet by 50 feet.
"I've done it to increase the value of the place and it was a good hobby," said Mike. "It is like a museum in a way." While not everything has a story, it all has a place.
It was never the Williamses' intent to restore the building to its original state. However, Mike said the bar looks a lot like it has for the past 40 years. He still feels like they have preserved a piece of history of the Valley.
"It feels good especially since I have a personal history with it being related to the folks who built it. I don't know how important it is but it is a good feeling," said Mike. "Everyone up here has a story about the bar or the restaurant."
Mike said he enjoyed the imagination of figuring out what to do next and then jumping in and doing it and see how it turns out. He feels that his work is complete and they are looking at how they can increase the resale value for when they eventually sell it.
Mike is interested in the history of the business and building. He welcomes anyone with more information to contact him.
The bar is available to rent for parties and gatherings as well as for tours. Contact the Williamses at 754-2219 to arrange a time.
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