Shelly's Leg was the first publicly gay disco and bar in Seattle when it opened on November 13, 1973, in a converted hotel in Pioneer Square at the intersection of South Main Street and Alaskan Way. Co-owner Shelly Bauman (1947-2010) funded the wildly popular party spot with settlement money from an accident at the Bastille Day Parade in 1970 which caused the loss of both her leg and dancing career. The bar flourished until a 1975 fire and consequent financial disputes among the three owners led to the club's seizure by the Internal Revenue Service in 1979.

In this image of the interior of Shelly's Leg, one of the most recognizable features of the bar hangs above the crowd: a hand-painted 4' x 8' sign proclaiming, "Shelly's Leg is a GAY BAR provided for Seattle's Gay community and their guests." The iconic sign is now in the permanent collection at Seattle's Museum of History and Industry.

Caption information source: http://blog.seattlepi.com/thebigblog/2010/12/06/woman-behind-gay-bar-seattles-first-disco-dies
Caption information source: http://www.seattlestar.net/2014/11/november-13-1973-shellys-leg
Caption information also derived from captions written by Post-Intelligencer staff and attached to the back of the photograph.