[82lsju]

a couple of articles on alcohol, Stanford, Palo Alto, and surrounding communities

regarding The Alpine Inn

https://www.paloaltoonline.com/weekly/mo...TRY24.html

When Stanford opened in 1891, the students soon discovered the liquid refreshments at Black Chapete's, a welcoming change from "dry" Palo Alto. University officials pressured San Mateo County officials about the saloon operating near the university and its young, impressionable students. But county officials did nothing--as saloon keepers and related interests dominated San Mateo County politics, maintaining a very "wet" atmosphere throughout the county.

When the notoriously "wet" town of Mayfield incorporated in 1903, one of the first acts of the town trustees was to declare the town "dry," thus forcing the closure of the 23 saloons in town. Charlie Wright, one of the former Mayfield saloon owners, began a partnership with Crovello at the Alpine roadhouse.

Soon thereafter Charles Schenkel took over management of the roadhouse and renamed it the "Wunder." With the new name came a German flavor, but Schenkel's proprietorship did not last nearly as long as the new name.

In 1907, Portola Valley farmer Walter Jelich bought Schenkel's lease and continued the saloon's operation.

Stanford President David Starr Jordan took advantage of the change of ownership to protest the saloon's presence to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. He complained that the establishment had "the reputation of being vile even for a roadhouse" and that it was a "disgrace to San Mateo County."

But the Board of Supervisors again failed to share the Stanford viewpoint of and granted Jelich a liquor license before they even listened to Jordan's plea.

Jelich's attorney responded that Jordan and the other Santa Clara County protestants should "missionize at home before crossing the creek."

As is the case with many protest efforts, the publicity only increased the popularity of the saloon. Local ranchers, farm workers and draymen continued to patronize the establishment, but it was Stanford students that made it a profitable business for more than 70 years.

In 1909 the State of California passed a law prohibiting the sale of liquor within 1 1/2 miles of schools and universities, including Stanford. This resulted in the closure of 14 saloons in Menlo Park, but left the Alpine Road establishment unaffected--it was just outside the new limit. With much of the competition banned, the saloon's business boomed.

on Mayfield

That small downtown was present-day California Avenue, or Lincoln Street as it was then known. And in 1886, when Leland and Jane Stanford were looking for a college town to support the new university they were building nearby, they turned to Mayfield.

There was just one condition: Mayfield would have to go dry, ending the sale of liquor within the community.

This was during the heart of the Temperance Movement, and the Stanfords knew that associating their school with an alcohol-free town would be enticing to many of the parents of prospective students. (The Stanfords themselves had no issues with alcohol production. They owned the world's largest winery just north of Chico, and they even operated a winery on Stanford's campus for a time.)

https://www.kqed.org/news/11735298/how-s...-palo-alto

and this article talks about local alcohol policies and had this tid-bit on Kepler's bookstore

“Yeah, you had to be careful who saw you coming out of Kepler’s.”

“Wait, wha?”

“It was pretty much an anarchist bookstore way back when,” he explained. “I always worried my neighbors would see me walking out of there and tell my parents.”

https://medium.com/@charlierusso23/an-is...48ca86c984

[82lsju]

a couple of articles on alcohol, Stanford, Palo Alto, and surrounding communities

regarding The Alpine Inn

https://www.paloaltoonline.com/weekly/mo...TRY24.html

When Stanford opened in 1891, the students soon discovered the liquid refreshments at Black Chapete's, a welcoming change from "dry" Palo Alto. University officials pressured San Mateo County officials about the saloon operating near the university and its young, impressionable students. But county officials did nothing--as saloon keepers and related interests dominated San Mateo County politics, maintaining a very "wet" atmosphere throughout the county.

When the notoriously "wet" town of Mayfield incorporated in 1903, one of the first acts of the town trustees was to declare the town "dry," thus forcing the closure of the 23 saloons in town. Charlie Wright, one of the former Mayfield saloon owners, began a partnership with Crovello at the Alpine roadhouse.

Soon thereafter Charles Schenkel took over management of the roadhouse and renamed it the "Wunder." With the new name came a German flavor, but Schenkel's proprietorship did not last nearly as long as the new name.

In 1907, Portola Valley farmer Walter Jelich bought Schenkel's lease and continued the saloon's operation.

Stanford President David Starr Jordan took advantage of the change of ownership to protest the saloon's presence to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. He complained that the establishment had "the reputation of being vile even for a roadhouse" and that it was a "disgrace to San Mateo County."

But the Board of Supervisors again failed to share the Stanford viewpoint of and granted Jelich a liquor license before they even listened to Jordan's plea.

Jelich's attorney responded that Jordan and the other Santa Clara County protestants should "missionize at home before crossing the creek."

As is the case with many protest efforts, the publicity only increased the popularity of the saloon. Local ranchers, farm workers and draymen continued to patronize the establishment, but it was Stanford students that made it a profitable business for more than 70 years.

In 1909 the State of California passed a law prohibiting the sale of liquor within 1 1/2 miles of schools and universities, including Stanford. This resulted in the closure of 14 saloons in Menlo Park, but left the Alpine Road establishment unaffected--it was just outside the new limit. With much of the competition banned, the saloon's business boomed.

on Mayfield

That small downtown was present-day California Avenue, or Lincoln Street as it was then known. And in 1886, when Leland and Jane Stanford were looking for a college town to support the new university they were building nearby, they turned to Mayfield.

There was just one condition: Mayfield would have to go dry, ending the sale of liquor within the community.

This was during the heart of the Temperance Movement, and the Stanfords knew that associating their school with an alcohol-free town would be enticing to many of the parents of prospective students. (The Stanfords themselves had no issues with alcohol production. They owned the world's largest winery just north of Chico, and they even operated a winery on Stanford's campus for a time.)

https://www.kqed.org/news/11735298/how-s...-palo-alto

and this article talks about local alcohol policies and had this tid-bit on Kepler's bookstore

“Yeah, you had to be careful who saw you coming out of Kepler’s.”

“Wait, wha?”

“It was pretty much an anarchist bookstore way back when,” he explained. “I always worried my neighbors would see me walking out of there and tell my parents.”

https://medium.com/@charlierusso23/an-is...48ca86c984