The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1915-12-23
TWO PROHIBITION
BARS AFTER FIRST
]. M. Hawkins and H.J. Claussen
Will Continue Business at
Same Stands-SOft Goods

The statewide prohibition laws
going irto effect at midnight December
81, will mean the final turning of the
key in only one lock in the city. The
doors of the Rainier Bar will close
never to open again. Bert Lloyd, the
proprietor, who several months ago
purchased half interest in the Ken
newick Club, will move himself across
the street and assume an active part
in the management of the business
with Guy Hayden.
Neither j. M. Hawkins, of the Mer-
chants Bar, nor H. j. Claussen, of the
Hotel Kennewick Bar, expect to lock
the doors of their respective places of
business for longer than day or two
until the bar rooms and their equip
ment can be made to conform to the
limitations of the new law. They will
continue to dispense drinks with foam
on the top and fizz on the bottom but
without the old-time "kick" either on
the top or bottom.
Mr.. Hawkins does not intend to
even change the name of his place of
business other than to drop the word
"Bar" which may possibly be sue
ceeded by the word "Club." He in
tends to install card, pool and billiard
tables and to operate soft drink bar.
Mr.. Claussen expects to do much the
same, making q, speciality of light
lunches and he may later move his
bar equipment into the hotel dining
room which will then be kept open at
all hours during the day and early
evening.
"No, am not going to quit busi-
ness," said Mr.. Hawkins when asked
what he was going to do after jan
uary /. "I have lived in Kennewick a
good many years, know lot of peo-
pie up and down this valley and I be-
lieve / can continue to make living
here. I have received some very at
tractive offers from liquor houses who
want me to start in business in some
of the wet states, but Kennewick is
my home, my property is here, my
boys and girls have their associations
here and am not going to leave"
"Do you know" continued Mr.. Haw-
kins, "I am Kennewick's pioneer busi-
ness man? There isn't man in busi
ness here now who was here when !
came and there are not more than four
or five families who were here then.
My first license was granted June 10,
1902, when this was still part of
Yakima county. / did not move here,
however, until the fall of the sama
year, my business during the first few
months being run by Tom McKain,
whose principal duties were to sit
around most Of the day and carry
home the three or four dollars which
had been taken in during the "a hours.
When built this building I was told
was crazy for getting away up here
in the country and for the first few
months / about half believed it. You
know when I purchased this lot l
thought it was on the corner of Second
and Yakima street. 1t turned out lat
er that / was three lots too far down
Second. Say, you should have seen
Second street then! Actually the sand
was four feet deep and the sagebrush
six feet tall all over here.
"When / started to build, Tom Nc
Kahn and dug sand for day, decided
we must be down about to grade and
started to lay the foundation. We
didn't miss it much at that, now did
we? After I opened up l found that
customers down the street objected to