We’ve talked about the goofy rule that prevented alcohol from being served within a mile of UC Berkeley both before and after federal Prohibition. It’s also pretty undeniable that women represented a disproportionate number of Prohibitionist do-gooders. However, at least one local woman of my grandmother’s era was my kind of people.
From the website of the Claremont Hotel:
“Since the hotel is constructed on the borderline between Berkeley and Oakland, it was assumed to be within the one-mile radius. Thus, it was not allowed to serve liquor. In 1936, The Claremont was one of very few hotels without a bar. This situation changed when a female student at the University began to investigate to see if the building was indeed within the one-mile radius. She and her friends measured the shortest route from the U.C. campus to the front steps and found The Claremont was a few feet over the one-mile radius, meaning a bar could be opened. (It is now called the Paragon Bar & CafĂ©). The woman responsible for these findings was awarded free drinks at The Claremont for the rest of her life.”
This story has a whiff of urban legend about it, but I first heard about it in a booklet put out by the Berkeley Historical Society and I can only assume they checked it out. Anyway, cheers to the best university-related units-of-measure story since Smoots.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard a more heartwarming story. Just goes to show what a little determination and thirst can do. What I don’t understand, though, is why didn’t they just build a bar on the Oakland side?
Speaking of beer and history, my wife, who is a Nebraska native, found this article about one man’s quest to single-handedly save and document the history of the beer industry in Omaha. Whether you’re from that part of the country or not, it’s a pretty interesting read.
http://www.omaha.com/article/20130209/NEWS/702099924/1685#grace-omaha-beer-magnate-pays-homage-to-city-s-brewing-history