Bourbon Street : A History

Bourbon Street has a very storied past leading back to the late 19th century. Prostitution and dark criminal activities have always been an issue in this city, and in 1897 the city government tried a new experiment designating one district as the legal prostitution zone, a red light district known as Storyville. This area was an infamous pit stop for locals and tourists alike, but soon grew out of control. When WWI rolled around, prohibition was gaining popularity, and Storyville was shut down permanently. The vice culture spread to various underground locations. Clubs started popping up in the French Quarter, ushering in the first great Bourbon Street era. The first period of Bourbon Street was of a classier demeanor; visitors dressed in their finest, and both locals and tourists found the scene intriguing. The largest group of patrons, however, were sailors from the docks, and with New Orleans being the second largest port in America, thousands of these sailors flocked to the French Quarter, pockets filled with money and bodies yearning for female companionship. Clubs started catering to this crowd with dancers and caberets. Strippers engaged in b-drinking, which is having the customers buy them drinks, and in turn the owner gives them a cut of the profit. As the 1930s swept in, the good times vanished as the Great Depression spread across America. Local musicians left for New York and California, and the local crowd that came for jazz and shows started going to the local movie theaters. TImes were tough, and the only option for the dwindling clubs was to appeal to the sailors with raunchier stripper shows, exotic dancing, and sex clubs. In the 1940s, WWII brought the United States out of the Depression and brought more sailors to the port of New Orleans. Also, the moral stigma of the era made sex taboo, and therefore all the more appealing to sheltered Middle Americans. Bourbon Street roared back to life and became the "strip" of vice and debauchery it is known for worldwide. It was now notorious for nonstop partying and good times. The local law enforcement was in the pocket of the mafia and club owners, and therefore Bourbon Street was given free reign. Soon the hard drinking and flesh culture was commonplace, and New Orleans was desensitized towards the true reality of Bourbon Street. No where else in America could this place exist. Bourbon Street s simply a product of this city, of its working class sailors, its role as a tourist destination, and particularly its notorious past that has never truly left this town of pleasure and gratification.