Boardmanville Glamis
The Log Cabin Bar
Chuck Boardman worked in the rock quarry near Glamis in the 70’s.
He and his family loved the desert and sought to buy property and a business near Glamis.
They initially wanted to buy the Glamis Beach Store but that deal did not come to fruition.
He spent a lot of time, resources and creativity to locate available land to purchase that was near the quarry and the dunes. They were finally was able to secure the plot of land he wanted and purchased 300 acres. This is the property that the now famous Boardmanville log cabin sits on.
The log cabin was erected in 1978 with the help of family and friends, and Boardmanville as we know it today was born.
Chuck didn’t intend to have a log cabin bar out in the desert...
They started out with a small store in tiny trailer that carried items the quarry workers and desert goers needed. They moved to selling food, beverages and then beer. They needed more space as the popularity of the Glamis area grew in the late 70’s and early 80’s.
The 80’s brought a boom of Glamis visitors and they were thirsty! And Chuck knew exactly how to support the fast-growing crowds.
Word spread about the spot with the stretch limo truck, showers, gas “station”, cold pitchers of beer, ice cream, delicious chili and the “dollar bill bar”.
Soon they needed 2 refrigerated trailers just to store the kegs of beer! Boardmanville was the destination to ride to on your 3-wheeler every Glamis trip!
The 90’s brought an even bigger wave of Glamis-goers and Boardmanville was busy all the time!
Chuck had demolition derbies (we could never get away with that now!), infamous parties, bands and fun was had by everyone.
Boardmanville is a true landmark that was drawing the duners and visitors from all over the world. The “snowbirds” that spend the winter in the warm desert looked forward to coming back every year. This huge influx of patrons kept customizing their dollars and stapling them in their “spot”. The building was soon completely wall papered in dollar bills inside and out.
Chuck passed in 1999.
His wife Jeanne Boardman continued running the bar and it was as popular as ever. NASCAR could ALWAYS be found playing on Sundays, believe me this is an Earnhardt bar!
Generations of duners would come over for the chili-cheese fries, ice cream for the kids and frosty beverages for the parents.
Everyone knows Jeanne!
Boardmanville was doing awesome until the economy turned downward, and many folks could not afford to come to the desert.
Jeanne sold Boardmanville to the current owners in 2012.
As part of the sale, all the old dollars were taken down, and Jeanne donated the money that was on the outside of the building to a local church.
Boardmanville re-opened for business in December 2012 and so began the next chapter of Boardmanville.
It's important to them to preserve the history and carry on the legacy of the “old days” at Boardmanville.
The new owners are working hard to make it better than ever, and look forward to creating new memories for generations of families to come!
