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Location DB > United States > Minnesota > St. Paul > Wabasha Street Caves
 Name
Wabasha Street Caves
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 Database Info
created by Dr. Magnus on 10/25/2007 6:16 AM
last modified by Dr. Magnus on 10/31/2007 6:22 AM
 Viewability
Publically Viewable Publically Viewable
This location has been labeled by its creator as Public, and therefore can be viewed by anyone.
 Overview
 Description
The Wabasha Street Caves is an event hall built into the sandstone caves located on the south shore of the Mississippi River in downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota. The caves have been home to mobsters, speakeasies and, today, a popular "Swing Night" on Thursday nights with live big-band music. The Wabasha Street Caves also provides historical tours of the sandstone caves in Saint Paul and Stillwater, Minnesota.

The caves are not shut down. The Wabasha Street Caves are privately owned and run as an event facility. This was the location of the Castle Royal Nightclub back in the '30's and where the Gangsters used to hang out. It is haunted and they do tell the ghost stories on their Historic Cave Tours, which run Thursdays at 5 pm and Saturday & Sunday at 11 am.

 Basic Information
Type: Cave
Status: Active
Accessibility: Easy, at the right time.
Recommendation: check it out if you're nearby
 Physical Information
Address

St. Paul, Minnesota
United States
Owner:
 Hazards
  • None
  •  Interesting Features

     Security Measures
  • Locked doors, employees
  •  Historical Dates
    Built: 1840
    Closed: 0
     Required Equipment
     Recommended Equipment

     History
    As it was in its history, the Wabasha Caves are used and appreciated today by the people of St. Paul and surrounding suburbs.

    Seems to be "the perfect, place for private dinner, play, dance, casino, murder mystery, or theme party. Group and private parties such as wedding receptions, class reunions, fund raisers, birthdays, anniversaries, and corporate parties have found The Wabasha Street Caves to be the perfect place for a unique and unforgettable party."

    These sandstone Wabasha Caves have been useful, since 1840, in not only providing silica for the making of glass, in becoming a handy place for food storage, in aiding in the growing of delicious mushrooms, in becoming a place to put items washed up in floods, but also in providing an entertainment haven for not only the upper class citizens of the Saint Paul area but also the members of the gangster class, made complete with the banned 1920-1930's liquid refreshment, alcohol.

    Perfect for growing mushrooms - In the early 1900's, a family of French immigrants discovered that these 7 sandstone caves were perfect for growing mushrooms, located just across the river from downtown Saint Paul. These 7 caves were used by the family for various aspects of their mushroom business, which became hugely successful. Their business started by providing mushrooms for markets just in Saint Paul, but wound up shipping mushrooms all over the country

    Speak-easy, high class nightclub - Sometime during the 1920's, St. Paul became a safe haven, sanctuary city for gangsters where they could go to rest from their life of crime and live without fear of arrest from local law enforcement. One of the hallways in the Wasbasha Caves has framed pictures of some of these infamous gangsters, hanging along the wall.

    So, it is no surprise that the prohibition against alcohol wasn't enforced with much effort. The first speak-easy which was set up in the main cave, was quietly known as the Wabasha Street Speakeasy, complete with its own whisky still. By the 1930's, local authorities totally looked the other way. It was felt that the days of Prohibition were numbered anyway, proving to be a colossal failure as an experiment, which was promoted by the nanny mentality of some lawmakers.

    The daughter of the French mushroom farmers and her husband decided to establish a grander effort and opened a high end, romantic night club, calling it The Castle Royal, where people could come, and spend a $1.00 for dinner (cost of a week's groceries), enjoy and dance to the touring big bands and musical acts performing on the stage in the center room, or play cards in the adjoining room, complete with a fireplace.

    The Castle Royal had all the bells and whistles associated with high class clubs, including a 1,600 sq foot dance floor. There was an elegant dining area near the dance floor and stage, a bar, a card playing area; located in the Fireside Room, a kitchen, a food and liquor storage area and the reception room.

    The Castle Royal was a great success throughout the 1930's, but closed its doors when World War 2 started in 1941. The caves once again were used to grow mushrooms.

    During the 1970's, a new dance club / bar opened, called The Castle Royal 2, becoming a venue for disco. YIKES!
    Sometime afterward, a huge flood wiped out the housing along the river, and two of the caves were taken by the city to push flood debris and peoples ruined belongings into, which are still there today.

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    Cavin'
    Thu, Oct 25th, 2007
    posted by Dr. Magnus
    5 pictures
     


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     Moderator Rating
    The moderator rating is a neutral rating of the content quality, photography, and coolness of this location.

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     Validation
    This location's validation is current. It was last validated by Mickael on 11/7/2007 5:53 PM.

     Latest Changes
  • on Nov 7 07 at 17:53, Mickael validated this location
  • on Oct 31 07 at 6:22, Dr. Magnus changed the following: Description
  • on Oct 25 07 at 7:58, Dr. Magnus made this location available
  • on Oct 25 07 at 7:58, Dr. Magnus changed the following: City, Province / State (please use full name), Country
  • on Oct 25 07 at 7:55, Dr. Magnus updated gallery picture IMG_1512.JPG
  • on Oct 25 07 at 7:55, Dr. Magnus updated gallery picture IMG_1516.JPG
  • on Oct 25 07 at 7:55, Dr. Magnus updated gallery picture IMG_1515.JPG
  • on Oct 25 07 at 7:55, Dr. Magnus updated gallery picture IMG_1527.JPG
  • on Oct 25 07 at 7:54, Dr. Magnus updated gallery picture IMG_1525.JPG
  • on Oct 25 07 at 7:54, Dr. Magnus added some pictures to a gallery
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