Jeremiah Tilton grew up in Gillette, Wyoming, the son and grandson of coal miners. The industry characterized his childhood as his family scratched a living from the strip mines that scarred Campbell County.

When he and business partner, Crysta Orr, bought the business side of the bar and grill atop the Imogene Hotel from Stuart Gillespie, they had the perfect name: the Dead Canary.

“We were trying to pay some tribute to the mining community, even though hard rock mining is different than coal m...