The Gay Bar

The Gay Bar is a bar and restaurant located in the small community of Gay in Keweenaw County, Michigan, United States. It is named after the town of Gay, Michigan, rather than any other meaning, and the business openly plays on the resulting double entendre. The establishment operates as a local gathering place serving food and drinks, and it has become the best-known landmark in a town that once had around 1,500 residents and now retains only a handful of buildings. The building that houses The Gay Bar was originally the home of Clement L. Adams, the superintendent of the Gay stamp mill. After passing through several owners, it became a social center and opened as a bar following the end of Prohibition. Over the decades it changed hands multiple times. Owners have included Dorothy Lodge and Norman and Mathida "Tillie" Dicks, who bought the bar in 1973 and displayed Norm's collection of more than 240 guns, some dating to the 1870s. In 1983 Chuck and Jan Gustafson purchased the bar and added food service, including the cheeseburger that became a local favorite. Bruce and Christine Fountain later bought the business; Bruce Fountain, a Lake Linden native, sold his Maple Leaf Inn in Lake Linden to run The Gay Bar full-time. Beyond food and drink, The Gay Bar sells a range of branded merchandise through its website, marketed as "Gay Stuff." Products include T-shirts, sweatshirts, stickers, shot glasses, key tags and pens, many featuring humorous slogans that play on the bar's name. The online store lists items such as The Gay Bar Sweatshirt, The Gay Bar Hello T-Shirt, The Man The Legend T-Shirt, The Gay Bar Shot Glass and The Gay Bar Key Tag, with prices ranging from a few dollars for small items to around $49 for apparel. The bar also serves as a keeper of local history, with a section of its website devoted to the story of Gay, Michigan. According to that history, Gay was a lumber town in the late 1800s, and when logging was waning the Mohawk Mining Company built stamping mills there to process copper from the Mohawk and Wolverine mines. Construction began in 1900, and by 1901 the community had an office, warehouse, blacksmith and carpenter shops, a dock, a pump house and company houses. The Wolverine stamp mill closed in 1922, and a depressed copper market led the Mohawk Mining Company to shut down in 1933; company homes were sold for one dollar per room and one dollar for the lot. Logging remained important until the railroad left in 1965. Today The Gay Bar is described as what makes Gay famous, and it welcomes all visitors for food and fun.

The Gay Bar is located in Gay, Michigan, a community in Keweenaw County on the Keweenaw Peninsula. The town of Gay was a lumber town in the late 1800s. As logging waned, the Mohawk Mining Company decided to build stamping mills in the area to process copper from mines at Mohawk and Wolverine. Construction started in 1900, and by 1901 the community had an office, warehouse, blacksmith and carpenter shops, a dock, a pump house and company houses. At its peak, Gay had 1,500 residents and 117 houses, with company stores and a schoolhouse for 250 students. The Wolverine stamp mill closed in 1922, and a depressed copper market caused the Mohawk Mining Company to shut its doors in 1933. Company homes were sold for one dollar per room and one dollar for the lot. Logging continued to be important to Gay until the railroad left in 1965. Today only a few buildings remain, including The Gay Bar. The building that became The Gay Bar was originally the home of Clement L. Adams, the superintendent of the Gay stamp mill. After he left, the home passed through many owners and became a center for socializing. It opened as a bar after Prohibition. Owners of The Gay Bar included Dorothy Lodge and Norman and Mathida "Tillie" Dicks. Norm and Tillie Dicks bought the bar in 1973 to showcase Norm's extensive gun collection; there were over 240 guns on display, including some from the 1870s. In 1983, the bar was purchased by Chuck and Jan Gustafson, who added food including their famous cheeseburger. Bruce and Christine Fountain later bought The Gay Bar in Gay, Michigan. Bruce Fountain, a native of Lake Linden, had owned The Maple Leaf Inn in Lake Linden and sold it to operate The Gay Bar full-time. The bar has embraced its name, which comes from the town rather than any other reference. Its website states that the business has "a lot of fun with our name" and that "Everyone is welcome for great food and fun times at The Gay Bar." It also sells branded merchandise, described as "Gay Stuff," through an online store. Featured items have included The Gay Bar Sweatshirt, the "I Went Straight To The Gay Bar" T-Shirt, The Man The Legend T-Shirt, the "Prices Vary" T-Shirt, the "I Blew My Wad At The Gay Bar" T-Shirt, The Gay Bar Hello T-Shirt, the "I Had 12 Inches At The Gar Bar" T-Shirt, the "Seating For Four At The Gar Bar" T-Shirt, the "Real Men Take It In The Can" T-Shirt and "The Gay Bar – Polish What?" T-Shirt. Other products listed on the site include The Gay Bar Pen, The Gay Bar Sticker, The Gay Bar Shot Glass and The Gay Bar Key Tag. Apparel prices range from about $21 for T-shirts to $43–$49 for sweatshirts, while small items such as pens, stickers, shot glasses and key tags sell for a few dollars. The bar also maintains a section of its website devoted to local history, with posts about topics such as "Model A's at The Gay Bar," "What is that tall thing in Gay?" and "Why Gay?" The site presents The Gay Bar as the reason Gay is famous today and as a surviving piece of the community's past.

• 1983

  Chuck and Jan Gustafson purchase The Gay Bar and add food, including their famous cheeseburger.

• 1973

  Norm and Tillie Dicks buy The Gay Bar to showcase Norm's collection of over 240 guns.

• 1965

  The railroad leaves Gay, ending the era when logging remained important to the town.

• 1933

  A depressed copper market causes the Mohawk Mining Company to shut its doors; company homes are sold for $1 per room and $1 per lot.

• 1922

  The Wolverine stamp mill closes.

• 1901

  By this year Gay has an office, warehouse, blacksmith and carpenter shops, dock, pump house and company houses.

• 1900

  Construction of the Mohawk Mining Company stamping mills begins in Gay, Michigan.

A historic small-town bar and local landmark that trades on its town-derived name with humor and sells novelty branded merchandise.

• The Gay Bar Sweatshirt

• I Went Straight To The Gay Bar T-Shirt

• The Man The Legend T-Shirt

• Prices Vary T-Shirt

• I Blew My Wad At The Gay Bar T-Shirt

• The Gay Bar Hello T-Shirt

• I Had 12 Inches At The Gar Bar T-Shirt

• Seating For Four At The Gar Bar T-Shirt

• Real Men Take It In The Can T-Shirt

• The Gay Bar – Polish What? T-Shirt

• The Gay Bar Pen

• The Gay Bar Sticker

• The Gay Bar Shot Glass

• The Gay Bar Key Tag

• Grab It And Crank T-Shirt

1. 1The Gay Bar | Visit us in Gay Michiganthegaybar.com
2. 2Gay’s History | The Gay Barthegaybar.com
3. 3The Gay Bar | The Gay Barthegaybar.com
4. 4The Gay Barwikidata.org