"Durkin Saloon." Postcard Collection, Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture.

Here's a sketch of one of Spokane's most endearing early characters: Jimmie Durkin, saloon owner, liquor tycoon, millionaire and philosopher.

He was born in England in 1859 of Irish parents, and immigrated to Brooklyn at age 9. In 1886, he lit out for Colville and opened a liquor store. He came to Spokane in 1897 and opened a saloon to compete with the famous Dutch Jake's saloon-theater-gambling-house. Durkin branched out into liquor stores and liquor distribution, and before long he was one of the wealthiest men in Spokane.

What makes him so fascinating was not his wealth, but his mind. The papers routinely called him "Spokane's Main Avenue philosopher" and he delighted in quoting his progressive opinions on all kinds of subjects.

For instance, during the Scopes evolution trial of 1925 (the famous Monkey Trial), Durkin dashed off a telegram to defense attorney Clarence Darrow praising Darrow's devotion to "the brightest of all jewels known (the truth)" and paid tribute to Darrow's contributions to "freedom of thought and education."

He was brought up Catholic, yet became a proud atheist, at a time when atheism was not exactly accepted. When asked to reaffirm the Catholic faith on his deathbed in 1934, he replied, "As I live, so I die, for any man who does otherwise is not a man."

In one oft-repeated Jimmie story, a friend asked why he spent so much money on advertising. He replied, "It is the very life of trade. I will wager I can place an advertisement in The Spokesman-Review offering to buy cats, and by nightfall I will have a basement full."
The wager was accepted and the ad placed. The next night, his friend looked into Durkin's basement to find it crawling with cats, brought in by the dozens. The friend paid off on the wager, "which more than offset the sum Jimmie had paid for the cats."

Although Durkin was in the liquor business, he believed it could be "conducted on a high plane." His bartenders were not allowed to drink on duty and would not sell to anyone who was getting tipsy. Loud and boisterous conversation was not allowed.

In one prime Durkin story, a fulminating temperance preacher once declared in a sermon that he wished he could dress (decorate) Jimmie Durkin's saloon windows "in a way to display the tragedy of drink."

Jimmie immediately took the reverend up on the offer and offered to pay for it. So the reverend decorated the windows with pictures of ragged women abandoned by hard-drinking men and with statistics about the ill-effects of liquor. One window contained a pile of sad, worn-out shoes, next to a gleaming pair of patent-leather shoes with gaiters, which was labeled, "The shoes of the saloon-keeper."

Durkin allowed the windows to remain up for weeks, prompting the preacher to say, "Jimmie Durkin is a man of his word."

Yet Durkin knew what he was doing. The windows worked as a "gigantic publicity stunt" according to the S-R, and attracted more customers to the saloon than ever.

Still, just before Durkin died, he requested that his epitaph be "Jimmie Durkin, born 1859, died 1934: The minister said, 'A man of his word.'"

"Interior, Ulrich & Durkin Saloon, 1935." Libby Studio Collection, Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture.

I've had this huge crockery whiskey "jug" for years, with "Durkin's Whiskey & Wine" and the Spokane address embossed on it. Yet, I have never seen or heard anything about this business since I moved to the area in 1982...but I often wondered. Thank you for your research on this very interesting gentleman, I'll save my jug forever!

I have one of the crockery wiskey
jugs also,I have had it for 35 years,did not no the history of it,thanks I do now.still dont know what to do with it

Roger:

Just an idea... if it is an actual artifact from Durkins, you may want to talk to the MAC about accepting it as a donation if you have no other plans.

Hi,
I also just have a huge crockery whiskey "jug" with "Durkin's Whiskey & Wine" and the Spokane address of 121 Howard St. Wall & Sprague embossed on it. I believe it is called a drum top jug and has a dark brown glaze. It stands about 13" tall. Any information you could give would be very helpful. Could you also let me know what it is worth.
Thank-you very much,
Jeannette

My Grand father, owned a Livery Stable in downtown Spokane during Jimmy Durkin's heyday. Papa Gardner spoke of a sign Durkin had in the window of his bar, "If your kids need shoes, don't buy booze" apparently Durkin had been getting hasseled by some of the local citizens over his form of trade. I too have several Durkin Memorablia, liquor bottles, in the Brown glass, raised lettering reads:
JAS. Durkin
Wines & Liquors
Wholesale & Retail
Mill & Sprague
Spokane, Wash.
Telephone Main 731
I've kept these bottles some 50 years, they've often reminded me of the Durkin tale & the colorful charactor that lived amongst Spokane's early history.

Hi,

I am related to Jimmie Durkin and wanting to find more history. My mother has a Jimmy Durkin whiskey bottle and would like to know its worth and more history.
I would appreciate any information to help in the compulation of our family tree.

Candy

Hello,
My mother is a great niece of Jimmy Durkin. It was her grandfathers brother. She also has a wiskey bottle with the words jas.durkin on it.She had gotten it from her mother who all lived in Spokane,Wash for several years. She was wondering what the worth of the bottle would be. She is 91 years old and would like to know. Can someone advise? Thanks