Here it sits right in the middle of our town. A rambling structure sticking out like a sore thumb. Once a storied bar/restaurant, it’s falling apart in front of our very eyes.
It hasn’t always been this way. When we moved to Oracle in 1979 the OI was a happening place. Pretty much everybody in town came and went to the cosy bar/restaurant renowned for great steaks, salads, beer, and the occasional mixed drink. Taco was the bartender, Suzie and Vivian two of the storied servers and Buddy, the cook. Sharon Richmond the wild-ass owner of Mother Cody’s Cafe across the street made nearly nightly visits. Dancing to jukebox tunes in the bar section commenced as the alcohol flowed. A small town success story by any measure. Originally backed up to a rodeo arena (long before the Soule’s built out Mitman Addition), ranchers and ranch hands mingled with growing ranks of miners who enjoyed the place and the commraderie.
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Red Hildreth delivered bread before he accumulated enough capital to buy just about every small business in Oracle. Most of us considered the Oracle Inn the crown jewel of his local empire that included Hildreth’s Market, the houses sitting above it, the shopping center on the west side with the liquor store and laundromat, and the neighboring trailer park.
When Red sold the Oracle Inn he demanded that the buyer (Adrian and Kari Darimont) purchase all his local assets at the same time.
One of the mysteries surrounding the OI is Red’s rationale for the huge remodel he engineered in the 1980’s. He literally exploded a right sized business into what we have before us today. The cosy bar grew into what some describe as a VFW-like hall and an upstairs that puzzled locals as to practicality of purpose. Costs to heat and cool the much larger building must have grown commensurate with the square footage. Sacrificed to the remodel was what real estate folks often call “local character”. So why’d he do it?
Some locals speculate that Red anticipated the coming of gaming in Arizona and he wanted to be ready to capitalize. “There is also,” John Hernandez writes, “the possibility that the Oracle Inn was confused with the Oracle Junction Inn which actually was wired for gambling. In 1950 and 1953 owners of the Oracle Junction Inn were arrested for gambling. The 1953 bust involved the arrest of 32 people playing roulette, craps and card games. Over $10,000 of gambling equipment was confiscated. The Tucson newspapers kept calling the place the Oracle Inn instead of using “Junction”. They later printed an apology and correction.”
Fleshing out the gambling picture John writes, “I remember in the 1960s and early 70s where local clubs like the American Legion and Elks had slot machines which were confiscated. There were stories of Bill Bonnano son of mob leader Joe Bonnano in Tucson coming to Mammoth and playing poker in the back rooms of some of the taverns. Steve Brown’s mother who worked at one of the bars met him. I have come across a lot of articles from the 50s and 60s showing that gambling was pretty active especially in private clubs and saloons including in Oracle, Mammoth and Pinal County. Tucson and Phoenix were worried about organized crime taking over the gambling.”
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A VERY BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ORACLE INN
Many thanks to John Hernandez for the story below. (Note: John was an ace reporter for The San Manuel Miner for many years and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Oracle Historical Society.
“The Oracle Inn first opened on March 9, 1938. The Grand Opening was held on St. Patrick’s Day March 17, 1938. The owners were two cattlemen, Boyd Wilson and Gerald Palmer. It was built on what was once a golf course. It was built so that the tourists at the Rancho Linda Vista Dude Ranch could have somewhere to go and drink and mingle with the Oracle residents. It would add a restaurant and became noted for its steaks and chicken. In 1948, New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey and his wife took time off from their vacation in Tucson and drove to the Oracle Inn for lunch. They posed with owner Boyd Wilson for a photograph which appeared in the Tucson Daily Star.
“Jack Freeman, Hank Freeman, Larry Bell and Scotty Adams took over management in 1951. Bell, manager of the Arizona Natural Gas Company and ranchers Hank and Jack Freeman also purchased the Mountain View Hotel from George Wilson in 1953.
“Over the years it changed owners and the building underwent renovations and additions. On December 30, 1955, a grand opening was held for the ‘Original Oracle Inn’. Tom Wilson, brother of Boyd was the new owner and Mercy Garcia was the manager. In 1956, Tom had a roping arena built behind the Oracle Inn. It was home to the Oracle Roping Club, a youth organization supported by a number of ranchers in southern Pinal County. The club held monthly roping contests. There were also jackpot roping contests held for the adult cowboys in the area with cash prizes. It drew cowboys from around the state and even New Mexico. The Oracle Inn provided a barbecue plate for $1.50 at these contests which drew good crowds.
“On New Year’s Day 1958, the Oracle Inn was raided by the State Liquor Control agents. At 1:30 in the morning State Liquor Control agents Bert Arce and Harry Bridges entered the bar and found it filled with 26 patrons still drinking. Charlie Wilson, part owner and manager was arrested and charged with selling liquor after hours, selling to intoxicated persons and tending bar while under the influence of liquor. The Tucson Daily Citizen reported that the raid nearly turned into a riot. ‘The customers, many of them very drunk, objected and fists began to fly.’ The agents brought the crowd under control with the help of a deputy sheriff. Charlie Wilson was arrested the following day for allegedly beating up a woman he believed had tipped off the agents. Wilson would be fined $200 for the violations.
“Mike and Eddy ‘Chuck’ Shaieb purchased it in 1958. Mike was an immigrant from Lebanon when he came to the United States. He got into the meat and grocery business in Michigan before moving to Arizona. Mike and his son Chuck were successful owners of a tavern in south Tucson and then later Chuck owned the Sky Room. They would sell the Oracle Inn to Red Hildreth in 1969. Chuck Shaieb would then build and own the Baron’s in Tucson.
“Red owned the Oracle Inn until 2008 when he sold it along with his Oracle Market and other properties to the Darimonts – Adrian, Kari, Justin, and Nicholas.”
This was such a great place. I have lived in Oracle my whole life. I remember eating dinner there with my parents as a kid. Over the years I have had the privilege to work there for over 11 years under the Darimont family. I started as a server and later moved to bartending and also managing. During those twelve years, I met so many great people from our community and beyond. The Darimont family put so much work into making the Oracle Inn a very special place from just a place to have a drink and dinner to hosting many special events from weddings to holiday celebrations and everything in between. The Oracle Inn holds a very special place in my heart. I am grateful for the Darimont family, who took in their stable employees like part of their family. I will always remember all the great people I was honored to serve.
So interesting - a great read!