Dastardly Doings in Downtown Walla Walla
No "female" shall be allowed in a saloon
Do you ever feel like you missed the first part of a conversation, and you’re just dying to know what people are hinting at ? Well, that’s how I feel about this little tidbit from the Evening Statesman. Apparently, the city decided to crack down on the issue of women in saloons — which would indicate that women were in saloons — and which also suggests that even that women who were NOT prostitutes were frequenting the beverage establishments of our fair city. Through the family entrance, no less.
The Evening Statesman, Walla Walla, WA, January 20, 1906
Technically, this newsletter is about Frenchtown, and it’s true that the snippet above doesn’t directly refer to Frenchtown. However, take a look at this list of French and French-Canadian owned saloons from 1908. On the north side of West Main between 4th and 5th there were no less than four saloons owned by French and French-adjacent fellows. If this ordinance isn’t casting some shade on these saloon fellows, I’ll eat my keyboard.
1908 French and Frenchtown saloons in downtown Walla Walla:
…….. (Edmond Le Roy) 110 W Main
The Frog (Joe Charrier) 7 N 3rd
The Idle Hour (George Mottet) 16 N 4th
The Progressive Saloon (Remillard & Gagnon) 204 W Main
The Thistle Saloon (G. McWhirk) 208 W Main
The Delmonico Hotel (P. Gagnon) 210 W Main (All right, I know this isn’t a bar, but it was VERY seedy, and it was also chock-full of freshly-arrived young French fellows!)
The Louvre (Davin & Michellod) 214 W Main
The Eureka Saloon (Joe LaFortune) 222 W Main
If any of this is making you curious, you might consider joining us for light appetizers and wine and some high-alcohol history at Three Rivers Winery on Saturday, March 16, 2024 at 6 pm to hear Sarah Hurlburt and Susan Monahan dish the dirt — er, dig up some history. Tickets are 65$ each and may be purchased online or (if you’d like to avoid the credit card fees) by mailing a check to Frenchtown Historical Foundation, PO Box 1224, Walla Walla WA 99362.
We hope to see you there — it’s going to be a fun party.