History - Bottle Cap Alley

In 1974, two young business partners had the idea to open up the first bar directly across the street from Texas A&M University. The bar that Don Ganter and Donnie Anz ended up starting was the Dixie Chicken. Since then, it's become a staple of the College Station community.

Next door to the beer joint, was an old alley that was used to cut through one side of Northgate to the other. When it rained, that alley would look more like a mud pit, that is, until Don Ganter came up with an idea. At the end of each night, the Dixie Chicken ended up with hundreds of discarded bottle caps that didn't amount to much at salvage yards, but they would go a long way in the muddy alley, and Bottle Cap Alley was born.

Before draft beer became popular, you'd see guys and gals with cowboy hats on their heads, a longneck in hand singing along to Jerry Jeff Walker and Willie Nelson. Those longnecks helped start a tradition that has gone for over 40 years now.

Bottle Cap Alley has become more than just a place to toss discarded beer toppers, it's become a landmark for people visiting College Station. Senior pictures are taken in and around the alley. Freshman from the Corps of Cadets raid the bottle caps each year to make their Fish Spurs. Visitors from all over the country save up their own bottle caps and make the trek to make their mark.

It's a connecting point for all of those who shared laughs over cold drinks, those who cut through to cheer on Aggie sports, and those who have fallen in love with the laid back vibe that emanates from the Dixie Chicken and the rest of Northgate.