The Sportsman’s Tavern is one of the oldest small-town businesses in Cave Junction and is still alive and thriving today. Cheryl Wagner, the new owner, purchased this historic community hub on Oct 1st 2024 and held a Grand Opening on February 24th 2025.
The Tavern offers a wide variety of fun events and accommodations, including televised sports games on three large flat-screen TVs, pool tournaments with two pool tables, dart boards, karaoke nights, open mics, live music, a jukebox, game nights, potlucks, celebrations, holidays, birthdays, happy hours, outdoor seating, takeout, even a Murder Mystery Dinner that features the history of the Tavern, coming up on Feb. 21, and so much more.
Saturdays feature amazing specialty meals from Jeremy Selvig, who also cooks at Trillium Bakery, helping support both businesses in meaningful ways. The Tavern also serves in-house Taco Tuesdays, chicken tenders, and hot dogs.
For close to a hundred years, the Tavern has served food and drinks that hit the spot while longtime customers chat with friends and family. Sportsman’s is the heart of the community—a place people go when the power is out, when wildfires loom, and when they want to hear what’s going on. It holds the pulse of the town.
The Tavern is deeply connected to Cave Junction’s history and has outlasted many businesses that have come and gone.
When asked what motivated her to buy the Tavern, Cheryl said, “I didn’t want to see it close because it is so important to so many people.” Cheryl wants to keep that “dive bar feel”, which keeps customers like Ruby VanHoogten coming back again and again. Ruby states “she loves the people and the atmosphere”.
She has saved a historic business, kept people employed, and works as one of the bartenders herself. Cheryl is a beacon of hope in many ways. She helps her friends and customers and takes care of them with genuine care.
Some customers have been frequenting the Tavern since the 1970s. longtime patron Colleen Wibley, who has been coming since the 1970s, said, “It’s like coming home.”
Not all of the Tavern’s customers drink alcohol. Many stop in morning hours for coffee, to watch The Price Is Right with friends, and to catch up on one another’s lives.
The exact date the Tavern first opened is unknown. It originally opened as The Owl in the 1930s, according to historic photographs of downtown Cave Junction, though many records from that era do not exist, possibly because the owners never formally registered the business. The bar officially became Sportsman’s Tavern in the mid-1940s.
Historic photographs have become the best source of records and can be seen displayed throughout town, including at River Valley Restaurant and Dairy Queen. The Tavern’s history has been preserved through these images, and are easy to find if one knows where to look.
As for Cheryl’s plans for Sportsman’s, she plans to bring back Oregon Lottery machines and do some remodeling but is primarily focused on restoration of the sign and main infrastructure.
There simply aren’t many places like this left. Long-time customers are deeply grateful that the Tavern remains open — it’s where they’ve gone for decades and will continue to go for as long as they can.
When you think of the Sportsman’s Tavern, think of an owner who truly loves her customers. They are not just customers — they are friends and family.
The walls hold echoes from the past and reverberate back into our hearts. The Sportsman’s Tavern invites you to come on in and become a part of the history.