The Saloon in Eau Claire, Wisconsin 1880-1920 : a Working Man's Institution

Abstract

In the decades prior to prohibition, the saloon was an economic and cultural institution in industrial communities that was created, operated, and frequented by the working class. In Eau Claire, Wisconsin, the number of saloons increased and decreased with the growth and decline of the lumber industry. This paper uses city directories, censuses, newspapers, and lumber statistics between 1880 and 1920 to analyze the relationship between the saloon, the lumber industry, and the working class in Eau Claire during this period. It also explores the different economic and cultural functions of the saloon and how these functions met the needs of Eau Claire's working class. Ultimately, the saloon in Eau Claire declined with the lumber industry, which led to increased diversification and greater upward mobility within the town's workforce. The examination of the saloon in Eau Claire contributes to the understanding of working class formation and culture in America during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.