The Lariat

The Lariat is a BV institution. Located at 206 East Main Street in the Halsey Block just west of Town Hall the building was built by John Smith Halsey in 1885. Halsey had been the US Ambassador to China. His son, Cady Halsey, owned a drugstore in one of the buildings, and it was the site of BV's first post office. The Lariat's beautiful historic backbar was originally brought to Buena Vista by train from Leadville, where it had been in a saloon. The Lariat's recent restoration included a new storefront, which is a replica of the original found in old photos from the town archives. The interior walls were painstakingly uncovered revealing the beautiful old Salida brick and the floors refinished to highlight the grain of the oak.