Name/Title
PicnicEntry/Object ID
PE196cDescription
Men appear to be a group of friends from the local area who have traveled a few miles out of town for a picnic - complete with guns and bottles of whiskey. They hired the Los Gatos photographers Pierce & Cobb to record this moment for history. The presence of the liquor bottles may point to the fierce Prohibition battles that raged in Los Gatos for many years. The Los Gatos Board of Trustees was sometimes controlled by the 'wets,' and sometimes by the 'drys.' Newspaper reports indicate that in July 1889, a Prohibition ordinance went into effect, and caused some 'excitement' in town when the saloons refused to close. The 'saloon men' and members of the 'League of Freedom' from San Jose held secret meetings at the Los Gatos Hotel. On July 29, 1889, one of the saloon buildings in town was put on wheels and rolled to the town limits, where it opened for business. On August 5, 1889, the trustees repealed the Prohibition ordinance and fixed a license fee of $100 per quarter, with strict regulations, for the sale of liquor. PE196cCollection
PeopleMade/Created
Artist
Pierce & Cobb, Los GatosDate made
circa 1890Location
* Untyped Location
Los Gatos Public LibraryCopyright
Notes
Users are responsible for satisfying any claims of the copyright holder. For private and non-commercial purposes you may reproduce a single copy (print or download) of materials from this Website without prior permission.