White Buffalo Bar
Marathon, TX
"Aye, aye! and I'll chase him round Good Hope, and round the Horn, and round the Norway Maelstrom, and round perdition's flames before I give him up. And this is what ye have shipped for, men! To chase that white whale on both sides of land, and over all sides of earth, till he spouts black blood and rolls fin out." - Herman Melville, Moby-Dick
A thunderstorm pounded the horizon, dark and swirling with streaks of vertical lines grasping for the heavens to the west. I pushed the pedal down, going 80, 85, 90 as I beelined for Marathon before things got a little too interesting. The town of 430 doesn't even have a single stop light, but it was a welcome refuge when I arrived, happy to have sidestepped the storm and ready to refuel with a stiff drink.
And there's no place better for that around these parts than the White Buffalo Bar, a cozy and well-regarded cocktail lounge inside the historic Gage Hotel. People from all over the world have visited this storied spot and seen its mythical namesake, a taxidermied head of an albino buffalo which is supposedly insured for up to $3 million dollars. (The buffalo, Henry, died in 1935.) Of course, the drinks are a draw too. In a 2017 'Saveur' article, Matt Taylor-Gross declares that the establishment is "...making margaritas that meet any modern standard for greatness."
As for the hotel, it was built in 1927 and designed by the famed architect Henry Trost. The project was commissioned by Vermont businessman Alfred S. Gage. He was a successful rancher and banker, and built the place as his West Texas residence once he had moved to San Antonio.
Small and dim, the White Buffalo Bar is the kind of spot where you can easily strike up a conversation with people from all over. Or at least listen in on some while you enjoy your drink. The bartender will likely ask where you're coming from, because everyone here is coming from somewhere else. In a sense, they're all here to hunt the white buffalo, whether they know it or not. And they didn't even have to go round Good Hope to make it a good story.