Cawhorn's Cellar: Literary Corner
One of the ways we survive winter on the edge of the prairie is with cool jazz, cold beer, and literature. Here are some examples of the latter:
Closing Time by Bill Lindeke and Andy Sturdevant is a history of bars in the Twin Cities.
My only beef with this book is that it concentrates on bars that closed long ago. The opening chapter is about local legend and original namesake of St. Paul, Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant. So named due to a disfigurement in one of his eyes. He was one of the hangers-on around Fort Snelling in the early 1830s. He later opened a saloon in what is now downtown St. Paul. For a while the small community that sprang up around his whiskey joint was called Pig's Eye. But when it became incorporated and was in the running to be the new state's capital, officials decided a more dignified name was called for. The area was renamed St. Paul.
The book has some strange omissions. For example, it does include a chapter on the CC Club, which is certainly justified. The CC Club, originally called the CC Tap, opened in 1934 just after Prohibition (Boo! Hiss!) ended and was owned by Clarence Campbell. It later became known by its more familiar name and has been in continuous operation as the CC Club since 1965.
But the book does not include the equally (in)famous Liquor Lyle's. I was a bigger fan of LL because they had the better Happy Hour and also offered a free lunch. Closing Time includes Hoover's Pub, a windowless bunker located on the southern edge of St. Paul's north side. I was there once, after my museum meetup's tour of a nearby cemetery a couple of years ago. I was walking back to the light rail station and decided to stop in for a quick one. I enjoyed my stay. It's a typical neighborhood watering hole and they have a few craft beers on tap. It's too far afield for me to go back very often, but he next time I'm in the neighborhood feeling daffy I may stop in for an aperitif.
I'm surprised the authors of Closing Time didn't include Alary's Bar, another neighborhood watering hole in downtown St. Paul. It's a favorite hangout of off-duty police officers and was the HQ for the Winter Carnival's official scamps The Vulcans. I've only been to Alary's a couple of times. I don't get over to St. Paul very often.
I recommend Closing Time if you want to learn a little about the Twin Cities' boozy history.
I also recommend A Game Of Birds And Wolves by Simon Parkin, about the war against the Nazi subs. By 1941, Churchill decided the outcome of the Second World War would depend on the Battle of the Atlantic. If the Germans were able to sink enough tonnage of cargo ships (which brought much needed supplies of food and fuel to Britain), then Perfidious Albion would not be able to continue the fight. And in 1941 Churchill's prediction was getting perilously close to the mark. The U-Boats had developed a tactic that allowed them to get by the escorting destroyers and wreak havoc on the helpless merchant liners. And if the Brits couldn't find out how to beat them at their game the war was lost. Luckily, Captain Gilbert Roberts and the Wrens (Women's Royal Naval Service) developed a grand strategy game that allowed them to develop Operation Raspberry, a counter-maneuver that helped turn the tide in the Battle of the Atlantic.
The Monopolists by Mary Pilon is a history of the game of Monopoly and its antithesis, Anti-Monopoly. I was aware, before reading The Monopolists, of the creation myth told by Parker Brothers -- that Charles Darrow working alone in his basement invented the game that would become a world wide phenomenon.
But The Monopolists tells another story entirely. The game was originally invented around 1904 by a woman named Lizzie Magie who used it to teach Single Tax Theory. Players would make their own boards and name the properties after their local streets. A group of Quakers in Atlantic City followed this example and named the streets after those in their town. Originally, there weren't any written rules for Monopoly. People would teach the game by word of mouth and then add their own house rules. Eventually, the game came to the attention of Charles Darrow, an out-of-work salesman. Darrow asked a friend to write down the rules for him. Darrow then went on to sell the game as his own invention. Parker Brothers, conveniently, saw no reason to dispute his claim as Monopoly was their best-selling product. In fact, Monopoly and saved both the Parker Brothers company and Charles Darrow from bankruptcy. The Monopolists also includes the story of Ralph Anspach, an economics professor from Berkley who wanted to create a game, Anti-Monopoly, which would counter what he saw as the immoral and illegal activities rewarded by Monopoly. Naturally, Parker Brothers sued to make Anspach stop producing Anti-Monopoly. How does it all come out? Well, I haven't finished the book yet but I can recommend it!
Closing Time by Bill Lindeke and Andy Sturdevant is a history of bars in the Twin Cities.
My only beef with this book is that it concentrates on bars that closed long ago. The opening chapter is about local legend and original namesake of St. Paul, Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant. So named due to a disfigurement in one of his eyes. He was one of the hangers-on around Fort Snelling in the early 1830s. He later opened a saloon in what is now downtown St. Paul. For a while the small community that sprang up around his whiskey joint was called Pig's Eye. But when it became incorporated and was in the running to be the new state's capital, officials decided a more dignified name was called for. The area was renamed St. Paul.
The book has some strange omissions. For example, it does include a chapter on the CC Club, which is certainly justified. The CC Club, originally called the CC Tap, opened in 1934 just after Prohibition (Boo! Hiss!) ended and was owned by Clarence Campbell. It later became known by its more familiar name and has been in continuous operation as the CC Club since 1965.
But the book does not include the equally (in)famous Liquor Lyle's. I was a bigger fan of LL because they had the better Happy Hour and also offered a free lunch. Closing Time includes Hoover's Pub, a windowless bunker located on the southern edge of St. Paul's north side. I was there once, after my museum meetup's tour of a nearby cemetery a couple of years ago. I was walking back to the light rail station and decided to stop in for a quick one. I enjoyed my stay. It's a typical neighborhood watering hole and they have a few craft beers on tap. It's too far afield for me to go back very often, but he next time I'm in the neighborhood feeling daffy I may stop in for an aperitif.
I'm surprised the authors of Closing Time didn't include Alary's Bar, another neighborhood watering hole in downtown St. Paul. It's a favorite hangout of off-duty police officers and was the HQ for the Winter Carnival's official scamps The Vulcans. I've only been to Alary's a couple of times. I don't get over to St. Paul very often.
I recommend Closing Time if you want to learn a little about the Twin Cities' boozy history.
I also recommend A Game Of Birds And Wolves by Simon Parkin, about the war against the Nazi subs. By 1941, Churchill decided the outcome of the Second World War would depend on the Battle of the Atlantic. If the Germans were able to sink enough tonnage of cargo ships (which brought much needed supplies of food and fuel to Britain), then Perfidious Albion would not be able to continue the fight. And in 1941 Churchill's prediction was getting perilously close to the mark. The U-Boats had developed a tactic that allowed them to get by the escorting destroyers and wreak havoc on the helpless merchant liners. And if the Brits couldn't find out how to beat them at their game the war was lost. Luckily, Captain Gilbert Roberts and the Wrens (Women's Royal Naval Service) developed a grand strategy game that allowed them to develop Operation Raspberry, a counter-maneuver that helped turn the tide in the Battle of the Atlantic.
The Monopolists by Mary Pilon is a history of the game of Monopoly and its antithesis, Anti-Monopoly. I was aware, before reading The Monopolists, of the creation myth told by Parker Brothers -- that Charles Darrow working alone in his basement invented the game that would become a world wide phenomenon.
But The Monopolists tells another story entirely. The game was originally invented around 1904 by a woman named Lizzie Magie who used it to teach Single Tax Theory. Players would make their own boards and name the properties after their local streets. A group of Quakers in Atlantic City followed this example and named the streets after those in their town. Originally, there weren't any written rules for Monopoly. People would teach the game by word of mouth and then add their own house rules. Eventually, the game came to the attention of Charles Darrow, an out-of-work salesman. Darrow asked a friend to write down the rules for him. Darrow then went on to sell the game as his own invention. Parker Brothers, conveniently, saw no reason to dispute his claim as Monopoly was their best-selling product. In fact, Monopoly and saved both the Parker Brothers company and Charles Darrow from bankruptcy. The Monopolists also includes the story of Ralph Anspach, an economics professor from Berkley who wanted to create a game, Anti-Monopoly, which would counter what he saw as the immoral and illegal activities rewarded by Monopoly. Naturally, Parker Brothers sued to make Anspach stop producing Anti-Monopoly. How does it all come out? Well, I haven't finished the book yet but I can recommend it!
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