Posted on 08/10/2010 11:09:22 AM PDT by Willie Green
In the Donald E. Westlake novel Drowned Hopes, character Tom Jimson says Oklahoma remained dry following the repeal of Prohibition and was so feisty about it that officials arrested a bartender serving drinks on a through train. In revenge, the passenger railroads pulled their trains out of Oklahoma, with the result that old railroad towns became ghost towns-even Amtrak didn't provide service. Is there anything to this? -- Anthony Creech
Oklahoma and its idiosyncratic liquor laws give the imaginatively inclined a lot to work with. There's a kernel of truth to the tale.
Oklahoma, admitted to the union in 1907, long prided itself on being a bone-dry state. I came across a 1918 court case in which the Santa Fe railroad, fearing the wrath of state officials, refused to accept a shipment of communion wine to a Catholic priest in Guthrie, Oklahoma. (The courts ultimately ruled such shipments were allowed.) As you say, Oklahoma was one of the few states that continued to outlaw liquor sales after the end of Prohibition-a booze ban wasn't dropped from the state's constitution till 1959.
As recounted in Drowned Hopes, the arrest of the railroad bartender happened in the 1950s; though I found no record of any such event during that decade, I did turn up one from the 70s. On July 18, 1972, Amtrak's Texas Chief train was boarded by state and local police when it pulled into Oklahoma City. Liquor was confiscated and the lounge car attendant was arrested, jailed overnight, and charged the next day under a law against operating an "open saloon"-i.e., selling alcohol for on-premises consumption.
The raid didn't come completely out of the blue. Some time earlier a newspaper reporter had informed the Oklahoma Alcoholic Beverage Control Board that the newly formed Amtrak was selling liquor on its trains while they were en route through Oklahoma. When the board raised the subject with Amtrak, the railroad agency made it clear it had no intention of complying.
Forcing the issue, Oklahoma officials apparently called up their counterparts in Kansas, a state with similarly tough liquor laws. On the same day as the Oklahoma City arrest, agents of the Kansas attorney general boarded a train in Newton, Kansas, and arrested the conductor, a lounge car attendant, and a dining car waiter for serving booze.
Amtrak sued both states in federal court. The Oklahoma judge ruled in favor of Amtrak, but the Kansas judge ruled against, on the grounds that the Prohibition repeal granted the states powers to regulate alcohol. The Kansas decision was affirmed by the Supreme Court, and the Oklahoma decision was overturned on appeal. Upshot: no booze on trains in Oklahoma or Kansas.
Did Amtrak yank its Oklahoma service out of spite? We contacted Doug Loudenback, amateur Oklahoma historian, who in turn consulted Dean Schirf, former vice president of government relations for the Oklahoma City chamber of commerce.
The facts: For economic reasons, passenger rail service contracted sharply in Oklahoma during the 1960s, just as in the rest of the country. When Amtrak took over in 1971 there was just one train left, the Santa Fe Texas Chief. Despite losing the liquor case in 1974, Amtrak continued operating this run, renamed the Lone Star, until 1979, when it and several other runs were dropped following budget cuts. Some wrangling preceded this decision, but there's no sign it turned on liquor sales, and in any case Amtrak continued to operate in Kansas, where presumably the same grudge would have applied.
In short, while there may be some deserted old railroad towns in Oklahoma, the notion that they got that way because of a liquor dispute is a flight of writerly fancy.
Rail passenger service in Oklahoma resumed in 1999, when Amtrak began operating its Heartland Flyer train between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth. Strong feelings evidently having subsided, you can get a drink while aboard, although I notice some Oklahoma counties remain dry. Does this complicate matters? Tell you what, Anthony: let's take a ride on the Flyer, order a couple cold ones, and find out.
Newton Kansas was one of the wide-open cattle towns (for awhile) during the cattle trail days. Oklahoma as well, especially in the ‘strip’ back in that time. I wonder if the good folks got fed up and decided to go a little overboard with their Carrie Nation support...
Solitude?
When I was working in the Middle East, while sitting on a British Airways’ plane on the tarmac in Jeddah, a stewardess told me that during those stops, Saudi Arabia required the plane to be serviced (cleaned) by their local staff.
It is actually a stealth inspection. When the rule was first enacted, they gathered from the trash the empty little liquor bottles. There was enough drops in enough bottles when poured together, it was shown as trying to bring liquor into their country.
At the time I traveled, BA used a special locked cabinet for empty liquor bottles to prevent a repeat of the very large fine they received the first time. We also had to hide any magazine that might be questionable, such as having an underwear ad.
Uh, back in the day 747's had a piano bar on the upper deck.
Nice legs on the one reading by herself.
Oklahoma’s alcohol laws remain idiotic. Especially the part of them that prevents Fat Tire (and all New Belgium beers) from being sold here.
I did see that on the first view. The 70’s were not all bad.
I guess we passed the heterosexual test on that one. ;)
Oklahoma the STUPID state that Sales Taxes FOOD! In Iowa we repealed our Food Sales Tax in 1973 or 74. Oklahoma...sigh...
I’ll stipulate that the occasional sexist post doesn’t bother me one whit.
BTTT
Give it up.............
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