Written by: Leyton Furlong
Located adjacent to the Pony Express Museum, on the corner of Mitchell Avenue and 10th Street, is the Goetz Brewery Museum. As one of three museums operated by the Pony Express Museum, the building is a former bar converted into a museum and event venue dedicated to the Goetz Brewery Company, local history, and, of course, beer. The museum was opened in 2021 after extensive renovation work. The building itself was built in the late 1890s. It has gone by many different names and operators: The Gitz Saloon, The Al Ronig Tavern, and Bill’s Bar. These days, it’s known to locals as the “Pony Bar”.
The bar’s beautiful counter is made of red mahogany wood. On the shelves sit old beer cans, imported beer steins from Germany, and old crates belonging to the former Goetz Brewery Company. Plaques that were once hung outside of Goetz factories are proudly displayed here as well. Some of the wooden paneling was even imported from a long-gone tavern that stood in the 1860s.
Who was M.K. Goetz?
The story of Goetz Brewery goes back to the exploits of M.K. Goetz. Michael Karl Goetz was an ethnic German from Alsace-Lorraine who came to America in 1856. In 1857, he stopped in St. Joseph, intending to head west to California. However, Mr. Goetz changed his mind and decided to settle in St. Joseph to open up a brewery. In 1859, he and J.J. Max opened up Goetz Brewery on 6th and Albemarle Streets. After fully acquiring the Company in 1881, Mr. Goetz began to expand his industry. In addition to being one of the first brewers to use modern methods in crafting his beverages, he opened up the Artesian Ice Company, one of the very first ice manufacturers in the West. Mr. Goetz and his wife had six children. After he died in 1901, the company came under the control of Goetz’s sons, with William (the eldest) becoming the company’s president. The brewery merged with Pearl Brewing Company in 1961, with the former Goetz breweries in Missouri shut down by 1976.
How it connects to the Pony Express
But this all begs the question: how does a beer museum tie into the Pony Express? According to the Pony Express Museum’s executive director, Cindy Daffron, Mr. Goetz witnessed the first ride of the Pony Express in April of 1860 and became enamored with preserving its legacy. Mr. Goetz’s descendants continued to work to preserve the legacy of the Pony Express and of St. Joseph’s Wild West heritage. William and Frank Goetz fought extensively to save the original Pony Express stables in the 1950s, with their efforts eventually culminating in the creation of the Pony Express Museum.
In 2021, the Pony Express Museum returned the favor by restoring the first floor of the abandoned bar on their property and turning it into a museum and event venue (The second floor is awaiting funds for a future restoration attempt). Some notable items in the museum include the recipe for the non-alcoholic Country Club “Near-Beer” that helped the brewery avoid being shut down during Prohibition, a copy of President Roosevelt’s 1933 letter to Congress to ease restrictions on Prohibition (the museum claims to have the original elsewhere), and a research library next door with rare books and documents tied to the Pony Express.
Other than operating as a museum, the place is a great venue for lunches, ceremonies, parties, and meetings. Ironically, despite being a beer museum, they don’t have a license for liquor. Instead, visitors are encouraged to bring their own alcoholic beverages to events. The museum offers catering for certain events, espcially for bus tours.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Goetz Brewery Museum
914 Penn Street, St. Joseph, MO 64503
(816) 279-5059