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Cruising this stunning stretch of the upper Mississippi, you’d never know you were in a former haven for the likes of Bugsy Siegel and the Ma Barker gang.
By Liz Pasch — Spring 2006
It’s a typical autumn day in St. Paul, Minnesota. The sun is bright, the air is crisp, and the sugar maples are aflame with gold and crimson hues—a sure sign that the boating season will soon be over on the upper Mississippi River. Why do so many people tuck their boats away right after Labor Day when autumn cruising is so spectacular?
My view is stunning from the helm of a Silverton 38 Sport Bridge borrowed from American Marine Yacht Sales. Elegantly restored paddle wheelers are docked near the St. Paul Yacht Club. On the opposite bank, the downtown riverfront is artfully landscaped with a walking and biking trail. Antique-looking street lamps remind me of days when the city was home to such prominent residents as novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald and railroad mogul James J. Hill. The downtown skyline juxtaposes renovated historical landmarks with 21st-century financial centers, museums, and concert halls.
If I were cruising here for the first time, the view would make me think that only the most dignified of ladies and gentlemen had ever called this capital city home. But being a dedicated student of my local waters, I know better: This beautiful riverfront spent much of the 1920s and ’30s as a haven for gangsters.
Even better, many of the gangster hangouts are within walking distance of the river. Tying up at the St. Paul Yacht Club is an easy decision. After all, how many chances do we cruisers get to walk back in time to riverfront hideouts where nefarious underworld characters “vacationed”?
CRIMINALS, CAVES, AND CLUBS
The era of Prohibition saw sandstone caves along the Mississippi River bluffs—originally formed from mining silica used in glass production—transformed into speakeasies, gambling halls, and nightclubs. I can see the bluffs from the marina, and the caves are a scant ten-minute walk down Wabasha Street.
I soon find myself standing in the parking lot of a nightclub formerly known as Castle Royal (now called The Wabasha Street Caves), and I realize it looks much the same as in photographs from 70 years ago. It has a brick, castle-like facade that appears to guard the entrance to something dark and sinister.
Okay, maybe my imagination is getting a little carried away. I’m early for the 45-minute walking tour, so after opening the squeaky, heavy front door, I have a few minutes to look at the old photos hanging in the entry room. In the 1930s, gangsters came to Castle Royal on the weekends—and the wealthy of Minneapolis and St. Paul came to see the gangsters. The lavishly decorated caves featured performers including Cab Calloway, the Dorsey brothers, and Harry James.
Nowadays the caves are used for wedding receptions, business meetings, and big-band shows. While the guide talks of how a young woman unknowingly danced here one night with John Dillinger, I can almost hear the music and smell the cigars. The room is cozy with warm lighting, updated carpeting, and painted stucco walls and ceilings. I almost forget we’re 60 feet underground.
We move into another room, where illicit gambling once raged. Our guide points to bullet markings on the fireplace and talks of a card game turned deadly. I follow the guide deeper into the caves and feel my neck hairs rising. Unlike the outer caves, these rooms are dimly lit, cold, and damp, with unfinished ceilings. They’re used for storage, as they were in the gangster era, although the goods being stored nowadays are legal. The guide chooses this creepy cave to mention a recent wedding reception that included a gangster-ghost sighting, later verified by psychics.
A few minutes later I’m at the coffee shop next door, sipping a latte to warm the chill in my spine, when I notice a motor coach getting ready for a two-hour tour. Since it visits gangster sites too far for walking from the marina, I summon my courage and join the group.
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