Historic Western saloon founded 1884 by gambler Luke Short — site of the 1887 gunfight that killed former marshal Jim Courtright, whose spirit is said to re-enact his death in the street out front.
106 E Exchange Ave, Fort Worth, TX 76164
Age
21+
Cost
$$
No cover for most events; live country music nightly. Bar pricing standard for Stockyards district.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Street-level entrance, paved historic district sidewalks
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1884 · 1887 Luke Short – Jim Courtright gunfight site · Hell's Half Acre / Fort Worth Stockyards heritage venue · Continuous live-country-music operation since 1970s revival
The original White Elephant Saloon was established in 1884 by Luke Short, a professional gambler, gunfighter, and saloon owner who had previously held interests in Dodge City and Tombstone. The saloon operated in Fort Worth's Hell's Half Acre — a sprawling vice district south of downtown that combined saloons, gambling halls, brothels, and dance halls and attracted cowboys at the end of cattle drives, gamblers, gunmen, and tourists drawn to its reputation.
On the night of February 8, 1887, Short and former Fort Worth marshal Timothy Isaiah 'Longhair Jim' Courtright argued in the saloon over Courtright's persistent demand for protection money. Courtright stormed out and returned with two pistols visible in his pockets. The two men confronted each other on the street outside the saloon; both drew, but Short fired first. A bullet from his .45-caliber Colt struck Courtright; Short continued firing as Courtright reeled, hitting him a total of five times. Courtright was dead by the time he reached the ground. The gunfight is one of the most thoroughly documented violent killings of the late-frontier era, drawing newspaper coverage from across Texas and beyond.
The original Hell's Half Acre saloon eventually closed, and the building was lost. In the 1970s, the White Elephant Saloon was revived at its current location, 106 E Exchange Avenue in the Fort Worth Stockyards, where it has operated continuously since as a live-music venue and historic bar. The 1887 gunfight is commemorated each February with a re-enactment in the street outside.
Local author Brian Righi's 'Haunted Fort Worth' additionally documents three turn-of-the-century murders in the original White Elephant's basement — reportedly over a shuffleboard game, a pool game, and a poker game — that are sometimes folded into the saloon's modern paranormal lore.
Sources
Per US Ghost Adventures and the Fort Worth Magazine paranormal feature, the most-cited apparition at the White Elephant Saloon is Timothy 'Longhair Jim' Courtright, the former marshal killed by Luke Short on February 8, 1887. According to ghost-tour narratives, his spirit is seen collapsing on the street outside the saloon, repeating his final moments, before quietly disappearing.
Local author Brian Righi's 'Haunted Fort Worth' (cited by Fort Worth Magazine) additionally documents three reported turn-of-the-century murders in the original saloon's basement — said to have occurred over a shuffleboard game, a pool game, and a poker game. These accounts apply to the original Hell's Half Acre location and are folded into modern saloon lore even though the building no longer exists at its original site.
Inside the current Exchange Avenue saloon, per CultureMap Fort Worth and US Ghost Adventures, staff have reported glassware moving on its own, items going missing in unexplained ways, and an ambient unease that investigators attribute to the layered violence of the saloon's history. The White Elephant is a stop on Cowtown Winery's Stockyards ghost tour, which weaves the Courtright story with the gunfighter-era history of the surrounding district.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Stop in at the historic White Elephant Saloon for a beer and live country music. The saloon preserves the gunfighter atmosphere of the 1880s Hell's Half Acre original — and per longtime staff, glassware moves on its own and items go missing in unexplained ways.
The White Elephant is a key stop on the 90-minute Cowtown Winery walking tour, which retells the February 8, 1887 Luke Short / Jim Courtright gunfight on the spot where it happened.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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