Kelly's Disco Lounge in Miles City, 1977.

From the Gazette:

http://billingsgazette.co...bd.html#10

THOSE were the days!

I miss NZ Shoes and the drug store with soda fountain on the corner.

Kelly's, one of Miles City's best dive bars. Perhaps only eclipsed by Clamm's.
Also spent time in the Log Cabin, Parker's, The 600, The Bison and the "old"
Montana Barack in the day.

Ooops, Montana bar back in the day. This was not a Freudian slip about our current pres, whom I did vote for.

Klamm's. With a "K." While I did visit Kelly's a few times in my youth, I never sunk so low as Klamm's.

While Earl Kelly was corrupting them at the Gas Light his brother, Fr. Frank Kelly, was saving them at the Catholic Church? That's life!

I'm intrigued by the claim of 'exotic dancer'. There was only one?

Yes, there was only one if I remember correctly and aways past her prime.

I remember one night where they had a pair of young ladies that were not past there prime, quite racy if you happened to have been there. That would have been in the early 70s.

I remember one night when it was the Gaslight and two older guys were fighting over the dancer that was "yes" past her prime. Neither one of them won as I remember and neither probably had the $10.00 that it would have cost anyway.

I missed the "exotic dancer" (prime or past prime) in the Gaslight or Kelly's, Wayne. The only thing I remember was Boyle and Christopherson(?) used to put out a lot of good music and Round Earl would entertain.

I loved Kelly's Gaslite. Shorty and the band played there. They had a very tall blonde DJ for a while. And then there was Jumping Jack Flash. He put on a rather racy show for the ladies.

A couple of my friends worked at the Gaslight during the Jumpin Jack Flash days. I barely darkened the doorway myself, just not my cup of tea, nor did I have the scratch to buy a drink most of the time. They were as close to Disco Fever as Miles ever got. We're talking Angel Flight jeans, folks.


But now I'm trying to challenge my Alzheimer's and remember the name of the place on Hwy 10 that had a lot of dances in those days, I think I was there maybe 2 times with a group of friends.

As for Klamm's, my knowledge came mostly from hangin' a bit with Jake Klamm, especially when I helped him in the fireworks stand one summer. A decent enough fellow, I wonder whatever happened to him? Is the bar gone now?

Jim Birkholz wrote:

But now I'm trying to challenge my Alzheimer's and remember the name of the place on Hwy 10 that had a lot of dances in those days...

Are you thinking of the Alta Club? The Sundance Inn in the Miles City Plaza came on the scene in about 1979.

Klamm's Bar became Barney's Bar and today I think that building is home to Evergreen Landscaping.

Jake Klamm is still around Miles City.

Wasn't Klamm's orginally on the corner of Valley Drive and Leighton where Goodyear/Sears/who-knows-what-else is now?

Richard Bonine, Jr. wrote:

Wasn't Klamm's orginally on the corner of Valley Drive and Leighton where Goodyear/Sears/who-knows-what-else is now?

I don't recall. That Goodyear (ABC Glass and Signs today) store was built in... 1978-ish? There used to be an old motel building in that vicinity that was abandoned and very dilapidated. I want to say it had "Miles" in the name but I don't recall for sure. There was also a time when there was a sign posted on that property that showed a conceptual drawing for a proposed retail/mall-like building that never happened. Does anyone remember that?

Here you go. Formerly Barney's Bar (and Klamm's Bar before that)? The sign with the tractor tire at the base seems familiar to Barney's Bar.

Evergreen Landscaping, Miles City by David Schott, on Flickr

Evergreen Landscaping, Miles City by David Schott, on Flickr

Evergreen Landscaping, Miles City by David Schott, on Flickr

When I was a Forsyth teenager, Kelly's Gaslight was sort of a "legendary" bar in that everybody wanted to go there. When they put their disco equipment in (which happened around the time I reached drinkin' age), it got even more attractive for a while there. I remember they had a big sign in front of the DJ booth that said "YOUR ROOM." It was pretty snazzy.

Then a few years later the "big" disco opened up out near the now-defunct shopping center -- I forget what it was called, but my ex-brother-in-law Ron Schneider helped install the electronic lighted dance floor that never seemed to work properly!

David, was that motel the Sagebrush Inn or something like that?

Not the Sagebrush. The Sagebrush stood until about 2007. The old motel I am thinking of was torn down in the 1970s.

What is the former Gaslight called now? The place out at the plaza was owned by Dyba's I think.

The Texas Club (716 Main St).

I believe it was the Texas Club, then Kelly's Gaslite, then the Drake Lounge, then it once again became the Texas Club.

I thought it went back to Texas Club. Was in an online argument with a former MCitian about it. Did forget it was the Drake though. Had a lot of good times in Kelly's. Spent a lot of paychecks there.

I guess it's permanently closed now. I wonder what happened to its liquor license.

The building is in pretty bad shape I was told. I believe Stockman Bank bought it. Lots of memories of many entertaining nights I spent there.

The Montana Cadastral site says that Richard Flotkoetter is still the owner of the property, but that may not be up-to-date. I could certainly see Stockman Bank being interested in the property.

The building was built in 1900 so it's around 118 years old now.

When I was in college it was The Drake Lounge and owned by Mike Duncan and Frank Pelletier. We had a lot of fun there.

At one time the Klamms owned that entire pie slice of land.The now Evergreen Landscaping building,previously Barneys Bar and before that Klamms Bar,originally was Klamm Motors,a Packard Automobile dealership.Reynolds ended up on one end,Sears/Tire store/Lube Center/ABC Glass on the other.Yes,there was an old motel,probably only 6-8 units but I can't remember the name.