Saloon District

Location: Area bounded by Culver, Water, Butler, and Mary Streets, Saugatuck
Date: 1840s-1900

Some of the 1895 Taverns Highlighted

One Saugatuck historian has noted that in the early days Saugatuck was a “sailor’s town.” It was, as well, a town full of loggers and mill workers—many of them, like sailors, single men who worked in dangerous trades for long hours, and many of whom lived in boarding houses, nearby logging camps, or on a boat. As a result, the area of “the Flats” (the docks area) became the location of many saloons (there were seven in 1874), some of which were rough and hard-drinking places. One report of the time notes that one could even find women playing pool in such places—and there was more than one bordello operating in the district. As a result, the respectable class of citizens tended to move up to “the Hill” area of town. The character of the village changed dramatically after about 1880 as it sought to acquire a respectable face for its new tourist economy.