Sheriff Cleans Up Old Town Saloons
A crackdown on gambling and 'undesirable characters' marks a shift in the social order of Newport's Old Town district.
Sheriff Merritt has ordered that all card playing and dice shaking for drinks in any of the saloons in Old Town must cease. The order was issued in accordance with the wishes of the better element of saloon men in Bonner County. The order applies to all points in the county, but was given publicity here on the occasion of his last visit to Newport. In addition to this order, the sheriff made a general cleaning up of undesirable characters in Old Town. This move was made necessary on account of the recent disorders, and is greatly appreciated by the better element here. Undesirable characters will be notified to move away from this district as soon as they appear, and it is promised that in the future conditions will be greatly improved.
“Undesirable characters will be notified to move away from this district as soon as they appear.”
The 'better element' rhetoric used here to justify the displacement of marginalized people is a recurring theme in the history of Washington's frontier towns. Today, Newport continues to grapple with the tension between rapid growth and the displacement of its most vulnerable residents.
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