Agathos Dorea

“Times are hard and people need a break from their worries–that’s what this place is all about.”

Wiping down the surface of the long oak bar as he spoke, it was evident that proprietor and bar tender Walter Gathers was caught in a moral dilemma.

“Folks around here are worried about tomorrow. Nobody knows if they’ll have enough to eat or how long they can a keep a roof over their heads before the bankers come knocking on their front doors.”

“I try to make sure that everybody’s got a place they can come to where they can leave their troubles and worries behind–even if it’s only for a few hours.”

“I know firsthand that people feel better after coming here. It’s the only place in three counties that has an orchestra–and our patrons, well they just hold their partners close and lose themselves in the music.”

Placing both hands against the edge of the bar, Walter Gathers looks down at the floor and takes a deep, heavy breath.

“Trouble is they might feel better–but every night I feel worse and worse. I guess I’m the only one making any money around here and it’s just about the worst situation a man can be in.”

“All I wanted my whole life was to make money–I never imagined that it would happen at time when all of my friends were going hungry.”

During the 1930’s, the small farming and mining community of Farmington, OK was made vulnerable by the Great Depression and then finished off by the Dust Bowl. The only establishment that enjoyed prosperity during these trying times was The Sandberg Resort.

Figuring it was better to move on than to watch his friends struggle, Walter Gathers sold his interest in The Sandberg and moved back east where he became a high school history instructor. The Sandberg went under less than a year later when the new owners set fire to the resort in an attempt to collect on the insurance.