ArizonaRealCountry.com 9 June 2018 The memories always come flooding back to me, every time I visit this old friend. It’s hard to believe all the years that have passed since we once worked together. I don’t really remember how I came to work there, but it was the winter of 68 – 69. Little did I know at the time just how much this job would influence the rest of my life, especially now. I somehow managed to manage the “Sweet Tooth Saloon”. The Sweet Tooth Saloon name was there because it had been an ice cream and candy shop. But now it was a cowboy bar attached to a fast becoming famous steakhouse, way out at the end of the paved road. The tourists left early leaving behind a real Wild West saloon. It was just a lot of fun. Where the large Tarantulas would sun themselves, on the boardwalk just outside the swinging doors, where I would join them to enjoy the last rays of the setting sun. Then they would return to their homes under the boardwalk and me behind the bar. The Cowboy band would set up amidst much laughing and joking while tuning their guitars. The music was loud, but not too loud, and of an era of that generation. Then after the tourists left, it was down to some serious dancing and drinking. Yes, it could get rowdy. But mainly it was just a lot of fun. Those were the days my friends and I, well we thought they would never end. So ride along with me down memory lane, as I take you back to a place that was nearly at the end of the paved road, and at the end of a time, we now look back upon through misty eyes. There were still wild burros in the area, descendants of old prospectors burros that were turned loose, we foolishly tried to ride. Before my time there was a tame young deer that came around and would eat the salads off the tables. “Big Marv” and Lola, who ran the kitchen, have many memories they shared with me. So come with me now back in time... The 1948 Ford Station Wagon rolled to a stop at a small store in the desert near Pinnacle Peak. Two young guys stepped out and greeted the owner of this small store and said they needed gas, but they only had 50 cents between them. Bill DePew, the store owner smiled and filled their tank, collected the 50 cents smiled again and said have a nice day and stop again. On this sunny day in the spring of 1959, in the desert north of Scottsdale, AZ., Marv and his brother Herman Dickson were on their way to the Verde River. Little did they know then that this chance encounter would draw them back to this little store in the desert, and Marv would not leave for the next 50 years. Both would become well known around the world. By the spring of 1961, just two years at their new location, word had spread about the giant T-bone cowboy steaks at Pinnacle Peak Patio, and if you wore a necktie they would cut it off. Business had picked up so much that the bar was moved to the now enclosed porch area. A new large grill was added, plus a patio in the front seating an additional 75 people. The lines of people waiting to be seated on a Friday or Saturday night were growing longer. In May that year, when Paradise Valley High let out for the summer, Marv and Herman started working days doing clean-up work. There was a big pile of booze bottles out back that took three truckloads to haul away. Cactus trimmings, lots of boxes, it all had to go somewhere. That somewhere was an abandoned mine shaft everyone in the area was using as a landfill. It was located about three miles east of Pinnacle Peak Patio up on the side of Troon Mountain. Near what is today 116th St. and Jomax Rd. This unshored up mine shaft went down at a slight angle 65 feet. The drive up there would usually take them a good half an hour, driving in low gear, over this winding, rutted trail thru some dry washes and then up the side of old Troon, some locals called Boulder Mountain. Remember this place as it is the scene of a life or death rescue I will tell you about in a later story. LeeAnn Sharpe and I have been busy scanning old photos and articles into a digital base that will be the recorded history of Pinnacle Peak Patio. Big Marv knows the history better than anyone and has collected memorabilia of the area for over 50 years. Marv puts names and dates to the old photos as we scan them in. This is an ongoing project and hopefully will lead to a much-needed book. After the closing and sale of Pinnacle Peak Patio, Big Marv was welcomed into the great crew at the Buffalo Chip Saloon, in CaveCreek by the owner Larry Wendt. The Buffalo Chip Saloon had a similar beginning that started in 1951, as a feed and bait store on the way to Bartlett and Horseshoe lakes. Today it has grown to encompass 5 acres and over 6000 sq. ft. and has become one of the most authentic dance halls and saloons in the country. It has been awarded, Best of Phoenix, Best Western Saloon, and Best of the Valley. Larry Wendt has been the proprietor of the Buffalo Chip Saloon since 1999 and has made it what it is today. So visit online at BuffaloChipSaloon.com or better yet stop by and enjoy a steak prepared by Big Marv, western music and dancing, and especially the bull riding nights. Give my regards to Mac's Hats. He is there with a good supply of Panama Palm hats and I get my traditional AZ Duuude hat new every spring from Mac. A great guy and great hats. By Bob Roloff, “The Arizona Duuude” You can follow Bob Roloff on Facebook. THE ARIZONA DUUUDE Pinnacle Peak Patio Steakhouse, Gone But Not Forgotten