Second Brake Bar & Grill

Our Backstory

So why the name Second Brake? Back in the day, early settlers with heavy wagons had to climb the steep rims and deep clefts on the Grand Mesa. Descending the steep grades required that wagons be equipped with brakes, a tall lever just behind your right shoulder. You engaged it by pulling the rope on top which wedged two blocks of wood against the iron tires of the rear wheels. The harder you pulled, the more braking you got. But sometimes the grade was so steep the back wheels slid, so you jerked into Second Brake. This was a breeching, a wide, thick strap around the horses' rumps (something like a slipped diaper). You engaged it by yanking hard on the reins.

The horses braced their legs and sat back against that breeching strap, the braking force went forward along the harness to the yoke and back along the tongue to the wheels. If the slope was too steep, a heavy wagon threatened to pile down on top of the team, so you kicked into Third Brake by cutting down a tree to drag along behind. The bigger the tree, the better the braking.