The first priprietor and licensee of the All Nations Hotel was Nels Erick Backlund a carrier who had resided at the Alice when he applied for his licence for the hotel in Oak Street Barcaldine. He was as widower with three children and had never held a licence before 1886.
The hotel was advertised as being situated at the extreme end of Barcaldine which would have been the Longreach end of Oak Street.
Backlund sold his property to Mr John Ahern in February 1887 to pay his outstanding debts – £120 cash and a team valued by Ahern at £250. John Ahern was the licensee in March 1887. The day after gaining a licence for the hotel, the Aherns experienced a frightening incident at the hands of some workers from Barcaldine Station.
Wrecking an Hotel - Considerable excitement was occasioned in Barcaldine about one o'clock on Sunday afternoon, by the riotous conduct of three bushmen from Barcaldine Station. These men had been bringing ins some sheep the day before, and arrived rather late in the evening. They went to the All Nations Hotel, the landlord of which had only obtained his license the day before. They caused him to get out of bed and supply them with drinks, and next day they came again and had some more, but refused to pay. When asked for the money they became uproarious. They went to their horses, which were tied up outside, and taking off the stirrup leathers began to smash everything in front of them. They broke up the furniture in the dining room and all the crockery on the table, where several men were sitting and then proceeded to beat out the window sashes, smashing glass and frames in all the windows fronting the street. They rode their horses on to the verandah and tried to jump through the broken window. They then pulled down the lamp and signboard and completely demolished them. No one attempted to interfere with them but the landlord and Mrs Ahern, who go a violent blow from the stirrup iron. Mr Cronin came in and made an effort to secure the assailants, but could obtain no help. The police were sent for and arrested one man, another struck the constable with the stirrup iron, and mounting his horse rode away. The police obtained horses as soon as possible and overtook the men not far from the town. They were handcuffed and brought in to the police ten, where they were secured as well as appliances would admit. A great crowd of people assembled before the termination of the scene and much sympathy was expressed for John Ahern and his wife. The prisoners were brought before the Bench early next morning and sent down to the lockup at Jericho under special escort.
By April 1887 it appears that the Aherns had changed the name of the establishment to The White Horse Hotel – still at the extreme end of Barcaldine. Ahern had held the licence for the same house for six months prior to August 1887.
In January 1892 John Ahern relocated his single-storey hotel to Longreach, purchasing an allotment opposite the railway station and renaming his premises the Railway Hotel.
