The Saloon That Moved Across the County Line
To escape higher Spokane County licensing, a Camden saloonkeeper hauls his buildings into Stevens County—only a few yards down the road.
C. L. Maynard, saloonkeeper at Camden, is moving his buildings across the line from Spokane County into Stevens County, as the license is cheaper in this county. The line between the two counties runs through the town, and he will have but a short distance to move his place of business. J. P. Berneck, of this city, has the contract to do the moving.
“The line between the two counties runs through the town, and he will have but a short distance to move his place of business.”
Border-hopping for lower taxes and fees is not a modern invention: Maynard literally dragged his premises across a county line to cut his licensing bill. The story is a small reminder that regulatory geography has always shaped where businesses choose to sit—and that a county boundary can be worth more than a few yards of road.
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