Grand Junction Bars That Were Too Much Fun Back In The Day

Did you ever spend quality time at the Jungle Bar in Grand Junction, Colorado? How about Jake and Mary's Colorado Club in Mack?

According to you, these Grand Junction, Fruita, Clifton, and various other Western Colorado bars/clubs were too much fun back in the day.

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Taking It To Social Media

I posted the following social engagement question on Facebook last Friday:

Good Old Friends Back In The Day

Back in the early 1990s, it wasn't uncommon to see a line wrapped around the building each Friday night at The Rose. The club used to host a FAC with the bands starting at (I think) 5 p.m. The band would play from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., take a break, and then resume for a normal Friday night set from 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Customers would pay a $7 cover charge to get in for FAC. While that may not seem like much now, please keep in mind that the minimum wage was $3.35 an hour back then.

These Clubs Really Did Exist

Back in the mid-1970s, my family would hang out at the Jungle Bar at the Cafe Caravan on 1st Street in Grand Junction. Don't ask me what I was doing there, I would have been five years old. Nevertheless, my parents would take me to see Ralph N' Clyde at the Jungle Bar.

The Grand Junction Triangle

Back in the day, you had what many of us called "The Grand Junction Triangle." I'm pretty sure law enforcement officers used to call it that, too.

The intersection of 30 Road and I-70B was home to a number of clubs. On the southwest corner, you had The Rose. On the southeast corner, you would find Gators. On the northwest corner was J.J.'s Lounge. J.J. stood for "Jumpin' Jimmy," a.k.a. Jimmy Rose.

The Rose ran bands five, sometimes six nights per week. J.J.'s Lounge ran bands five nights per week, Wednesday through Sunday. Gators occasionally ran bands.If you made the rounds through the Grand Junction Triangle and found yourself wanting more fun, you could head about a mile east and visit The Outpost.

The Pink Flamingo

Most people simply referred to it as "The Flamingo." This one could be found at 2nd and Colorado. Ralph N' Clyde played there for a decade or two. As a matter of fact, they were included in some scenes of a movie filmed at the Flamingo.

Personally, I never set foot in the Flamingo. I did, however, know the proprietor. Hazel Jensen was my next-door neighbor when I was little. It's my understanding she was a tough cookie, and I mean that in a good way. To this day I still hear legends of the Flamingo.

The Reverse R Bar (Double R Bar), Cahoots, Whiskey River, Jake and Mary's Colorado Club, the original Cruisers when it was on North Avenue, Bourbon Street, the Silver Fox, The Roundup, Jimmy's Roadhouse, Cheers, The Ocelot Club (thank you, Huey, for reminding us of that one), and more. They were all fun back in the day. Here's a look at fifty of your favorites.