Jim Kershner’s This day in history » On the Web: spokesman.com/topics/local-history

From our archives, 100 years ago

A Spokane city commissioner went on the warpath against the “hell holes in this city” – specifically “these noodle joints and chili con carne joints.”

Noodle joints?

He meant Chinese and Japanese noodle emporiums, and the problem, at least in the eyes of this irate commissioner, was that they served liquor to underage teens.

“It is in these noodle joints that young people go to get their beer and liquor, where they can get it served to them in boxes,” he said.

By boxes, he meant private booths. He claimed that many young girls liked to frequent these noodle joints.

Other commissioners were a little skeptical about these charges. One commissioner, who claimed to have studied the matter, said that the noodle joints don’t have liquor licenses and carry no liquor on the premises.

The first commissioner replied that they must “have an awful underground tunnel to some of the saloons.”

Apparently, waiters were running to nearby saloons – ones they were in cahoots with – and bringing back the hooch to patrons.

“If we don’t put a stop to this business soon, every saloon in the city will have one of these joints above it,” said the commissioner.