How Mendocino’s early saloons shaped a town — and sparked local prohibition

AS EARLY AS 1868, Mendocino boasted around five saloons and bars for a population of 400-500 men. The men, mostly loggers, craved entertainment and something to spend their hard-earned money on. Similar to reward programs common in retail today, repeat customers were rewarded with metal tokens, stamped with the name of the saloon and the phrase “good for one drink” to encourage saloon loyalty. It was not long until residents took serious issue with Mendocino’s saloon culture, leading to a special election in the summer of 1909 that led to prohibition being passed in Mendocino ten years before it was enforced nationally.

One early establishment was the Lemos Saloon on Mendocino’s Main Street. Born in Flores, Azores Island in 1853, Fernando Lemos was the second of six brothers to move to Mendocino around 1885. He bought the building from Joseph F. Lazarus, who had built the 26 by 40’ two story building in February 1886. The Mendocino Beacon reported that it was “One of the greatest feats of building ever witnessed in this place.” Lazarus ran it as a saloon before selling it to Lemos soon after. The second floor of the building was divided into rooms for lodgers, but it was rumored that it was used as a brothel.