It’s always fun to read up on your destination when planning a trip. Yes, there’s the well-worn tourist trail, the “must see” things, but often there are quirky little extras that the average visitor overlooks. These things can give you a true feel for the place, perhaps revealing unique history that you’d never otherwise be privy to. During a recent visit to St. Paul, Minnesota, we found all of that and more during our visit to the Wabasha Street Caves.
On the south shore of the Mississippi River (which takes a sharp bend in this area), all along Wabasha Street in the heart of St. Paul, is a sandstone bluff that’s about 45 feet high. Around 1840, people started carving caves into that bluff. Many are now closed off by garage doors and used as storage for small businesses, but one is much more elaborate and unique and has become a very eclectic venue. When I discovered that you can book a tour of those caves, I was hooked.
The caves sport a very interesting façade, so we were eager for the tour to begin. We lucked out, because we had a very enthusiastic tour guide named Ryan who had been there for decades. He really seemed to love his job, and he was quite good at it.
He started off by telling us some St. Paul gangster history. I had no idea, but St. Paul was a crooks’ haven in the 1920’s and ‘30’s. The corrupt politicians and police chiefs were quite willing to line their pockets, so they came to an agreement with gangsters, bank robbers, smugglers, racketeers, kidnappers, gamblers and bootleggers. It went something like this: “We’ll warn you about FBI raids and protect you while you’re in the city, as long as you check in with us when you get here, give us a portion of your profits, and commit no crimes in St. Paul. Minneapolis and the rest of the state and country are fair game, but don’t cause trouble here.”
Because of this sweet deal, St. Paul had many visitors come and go, including John Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde, Al Capone, Babyface Nelson, the Barker Gang, and Alvin “Creepy” Karpis (who has been on my “blog ideas” list for about a year now. His story will curl your toes once I get around to writing it.)
What does this have to do with the caves? Well, during prohibition, which lasted from 1919 until 1933, they were known as the Wabasha Street Speakeasy. Gangsters, politicians, and the city’s elite would come here to blatantly indulge in the alcohol they weren’t supposed to be able to get.
Sometime during that era, four gangsters were playing poker in front of the cave’s built-in fireplace, and some sort of disagreement broke out. The result was that three of the players were killed in a shower of bullets, and the fourth one left town in a hurry. (You can still see the bullet damage in the fireplace.) The corrupt police were called in, the place was cordoned off, the bodies “disappeared”, and no report was filed. It’s safe to assume that those three men are buried beneath the sandstone floor somewhere in the cave.
After prohibition, the caves became the Castle Royal Nightclub, and big bands would perform live on stage. Tommy Dorsey’s band played there a time or two. (That would have been something to see.) But World War II kind of brought everything to a grinding halt, so the caves reverted back to being a great place to grow mushrooms, just as it had been at the beginning of that century. In the 1970’s, Castle Royal opened up once again, and this time it was a disco.
In one area, you can see the bar that has been active since prohibition and is still going strong. A couple of ghosts are said to inhabit this place, and can supposedly be found sitting at the end of the bar. That stands to reason. There isn’t a tour operator worth her salt who doesn’t want to include a ghost tour on their list of options. But I didn’t get a creepy vibe from the place.
In another room, you can see the mushroom growing racks that used to fill every room from floor to ceiling. (I bet that smelled good. Not.) When I asked what kind of mushrooms were grown there, Ryan proudly showed me the product. “Marinated Mushrooms,” the label said. I guess mushroom types weren’t a big deal back then. From looking at them, I’d say they were your basic Button mushrooms, just like the ones that used to grow in the catacombs of Paris.
In one spot you can see one of the original fancy chandeliers from the nightclub. Later, in one of the hallways, you’ll spot a replica of it, still in working order. The place was quite swank in its heyday.
The caves branch off in several directions, and due to their proximity to the Mississippi River, which has a habit of flooding from time to time, some of its side rooms have been filled with debris that washed up during those floods. There are all sorts of things in there. Some future archeologist will think she has died and gone to heaven.
This century, along with the historic caves tour, the venue has been hosting a Saint Paul gangster tour, a lost souls cave tour, a tour for kids called Troll Tales, and those all come with costumed guides. They have swing dancing every Thursday night, and the occasional amateur comedy night. The venue can also be booked for weddings, corporate events, proms, birthday parties and concerts. (If Saint Paul has a local storytelling group, this would be a great place to meet! Just sayin’.) In 1998, it was even the set for a Nike commercial, featuring athletes Kevin Garnett and Tim Hardaway. You can still see it on YouTube.
We were surprised that their meager gift shop didn’t have refrigerator magnets or postcards, because we surely would have purchased some. But I was thrilled to see they had an old Model A Ford parked out front, and I couldn’t resist having Dear Husband take a picture of me sitting on the running board, because it reminded me of a picture of my mother, grandmother and two cousins doing the same thing in the mid 40’s. (Check out the bobby socks on my mother! Doesn’t she look like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz?)
We really enjoyed our visit to the Wabasha Street Caves. It felt a bit like time travel. If you’re ever in St. Paul, stop in and take a tour. Hopefully Ryan will be there to answer all of your questions. If so, please tip him well!
Travel vicariously through this blog. And while you’re at it, check out my book! http://amzn.to/2mlPVh5
The View from a Drawbridge 