Saskatchewan’s hotel bars in the 1900s before their closure?

Several events related to Saskatchewan’s hotel bars show a large influx in the early 1900s. At that time, the sales of these bars was such that it covered the deficits of the other activities of the hotel. Several drinks such as gin, beer, or wine were served and you only had to pay 10 cents for a glass of whiskey.

The bartender Philip Schappert says that they sometimes sell on some days 500 to 600 bottles of alcohol. However, at some point people began to worry about the disruption caused by heavy drinking. Then appeared the Banish-The-Bar movement and the Women’s Christian Temperance Unions (WCTU) who lobbied for the closure of the bars. Following this protest, Prime Minister Walter Scott announced the closure of the bars from July 1, 1915. It was a turning point for these companies, which, until then benefited of a considerable freedom of action.

 

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