Legal Law

California’s last dry town

The coastal city was proud of its prohibition of alcohol. The city was originally founded as a religious retreat for Methodists who wanted to get closer to God by living and worshiping in the beautiful forest that He had created.

At Howard Street Methodist Episcopal Church in San Francisco on June 1, 1875, a group of people held the first meeting of the Pacific Grove Retreat Association.

Among the group’s main concerns was the sale of intoxicants. The Blue Laws, often referred to as the “Founding Fathers Rules,” deal with quite a few topics.

They included things like behavior that would be allowed on the grounds, baggage delivery on Sundays, staying outside after 10:30 p.m., smoking on platforms or near public buildings, cursing, and walking around dressed only in a bathing suit.

The provisions regarding alcohol are particularly strict.

Even those who bought a property had to agree to a provision in the lease that prohibited the sale of liquor on the property. This clause also prohibited gambling on said property.

The city became known as the “Chautauqua-by-the-Sea”, a community of culture and learning. The first field meeting of the Pacific Coast branch of the Chautauqua Scientific and Literature Circle was held in 1879.

The event was designed after the Methodist Sunday School teacher training camp established in 1874 in Lake Chautauqua, New York. Pacific Grove built Chautauqua Hall in 1881, which became known as the Old Chapel or Assembly Hall.

Speakers were said to have come from all over the world to lecture in what had become a well-known cultural center in the west. At the end of each season, the town celebrated its “Lantern Festival”, which meant the closing of each Chautauqua until next summer.

In November 1879, after the summer campers returned home, Robert Louis Steven-son wandered the deserted campgrounds: “I have never been to such a dreamed place. In fact, it was not so much like a deserted city as a scene on the stage in the light of the day, and with nobody in the tables “.

It wasn’t until 1927 that Pacific Grove Retreat decided to become a legitimate town.

Pacific Grove residents soon learned that the city’s tight control over the sale of alcohol was hurting them financially.

Tourists were welcome visitors to the Monterey Bay area, and their dollars mattered, even to Pacific Grove.

But many of the tourists, who couldn’t relax with a glass of wine at dinner, simply headed to neighboring towns outside the dry area, like Monterey, Watsonville or Santa Cruz for dinner.

Soon, tourists began to stay in hotels in towns that allowed the sale of alcohol, alleviating the need to drive back to Pacific Grove after dinner.

It didn’t take long for the city fathers of Pacific Grove to realize that they were losing money in the surrounding communities due to alcohol prohibition. Residents began holding meetings to discuss the need to legalize alcohol.

Strong campaigns emerged to abolish the “no alcohol” law. The merchants felt at a great disadvantage with their neighboring communities, especially with Monterey, which was their main competitor.

The Monterey Herald reported: “There are no bars, liquor stores or cocktail lounges in Pacific Grove and there may never be. The original writing restrictions envisioned a city whose lips would never touch liquor.”

Leading the fray to keep Pacific Grove dry was Mrs. Elmarie Dyke, who moved to Pacific Grove with her family in 1909.

Ms. Dyke had graduated from Pacific Grove High School and later became a school teacher in the city schools. He also reinstalled and produced the Lantern Festival from 1963 to 1980.

His strong determination wasn’t enough to keep alcohol out of Pacific Grove.

Pacific Grove Mayor Bob Quinn pointed out at a meeting that Pacific Grove residents did not drink less than their neighbors. There were so many liquor bottles in the garbage in Pacific Grove, but people just couldn’t buy them there.

Finally, in 1968, the city of Pacific Grove decided to vote on the question of whether the laws prohibiting alcohol should be repealed. The measure passed easily with a vote of 3,383 to 2,269.

Even today, the consumption of alcohol in public places in Pacific Grove is restricted to restaurants where food is served.

However, the liquor can be purchased from a limited number of closely supervised parcel stores.

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