Clark County history: The trouble with saloons and liquor

In the years leading up to Prohibition, the “dry” Clark County contingent saw saloons as chambers of criminality, where prostitution, gambling, brawling and even murder took place. They believed crimes extended beyond saloon walls, harming the community. The “wets,” of course, saw the saloons otherwise.

In January 1874, Clark County Sheriff Coffey informed the Morning Oregonian about a fatal stabbing at a Vancouver saloon that had occurred around 8 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. There was a dispute over a debt between two men. Attorney Cradlebaugh tried to collect a small debt. When the attorney asked Hardigan, 45, to pay, enraged, he pulled a long knife and brandished it to intimidate the lawyer, who exited the saloon, avoiding any drama.

About the same time, a third man, Vowinkle, entered the room through a second door, taking a few paces into the room. Hardigan thrust the blade at him so hard that it entered Vowinkle’s abdomen, then out the back, spilling his intestines. Hardigan was arrested quickly. Vowinkle died days later, leaving a wife and two children behind.

The city marshal’s February 1884 arrest report to the Vancouver City Council highlighted the fears of the “drys.” In January, the police arrested four helpless drunks, a disorderly drunk, three drunkards, two more who used abusive language and another for indecent exposure. That year, citizens complained saloons sold liquor to minors. They worried about drunken brawls.

Saloon keeper C.A. Dellinger of Yacolt faced similar complaints. Citizens collected petition signatures for and against the renewal of his liquor license and presented them to Clark County commissioners. Fifty-one petitioners supported the renewal application, and 24 “drys” asked for it to be denied, citing community welfare as their concern. They accused Dellinger of immoral acts — of selling liquor to minors and dabbling in prostitution. Ultimately his license was renewed, with the county commissioners faintly damning his saloon as “no worse than others.”

Saloons and liquor came under fire from religious groups, government and organizations. When women from The Salvation Army came to Vancouver in April and May of 1887 to review the city’s saloons, they quickly retreated to their East Portland headquarters, reported the Vancouver Independent, without commenting on the cause of their retreat. Oregon evangelist “Cyclone” Dan Shannon converted nearly 1,000 sinners to Christianity in 1909, making each swear off liquor, which diminished saloon sales — at least for a time.

A 1915 Christmas Eve party in Hazel Dell powered by alcohol ended in mayhem. During the scuffling, Charles Mayer, 26, shot and killed John Kramer, 68. Six months later, a local court convicted Mayer of second-degree murder.

Clark County’s towns took control of liquor licensing, enriching their coffers with fees to control the flow of booze. Each reviewed licenses regularly, usually every two years. In 1904, three Washougal saloons lost permits due to “flagrant violations.” When the saloon keepers didn’t request a refund of the licensing fees, it proved how brazen the violations were. In 1906, a would-be Ridgefield proprietor was denied a saloon license because the community was against it. Cities also imposed saloon closures on Sundays as far back as 1881.

In 1916, the state of Washington went dry, putting the saloons out of business. Some were retrofitted as soda fountains. But imposed morality boosted criminality. Law enforcement now faced a game of cat-and-mouse, pursuing moonshiners and bootleggers.