St. Paul Phototour

Gangster History

Police Chief John O'Connor agreed not to prosecute the gangsters as long as they didn't commit crimes within the city, and as long as the owners of brothels and gambling houses made payoffs to O'Connor's collectors. For St. Paul, it was a win-win situation. The citizens were protected and the gangsters spent their money in the city.

Everything went well that is until a combination of factors including, O'Connor's death and replacement by a more reform minded police chief, the murder of Dan Hogan, St. Paul's underworld Czar who supervised the layover agreement and the Great Depression, caused the O'Connor System to come apart resulting in the broad daylight kidnapping of St. Paul brewery mogul William Hamm Jr., and banker Edward Bremer by members of the Barker-Karpis gang.

The photo tour here is based on the information from Paul Maccabee's book -- "John Dillinger Slept Here: A Crooks' Tour of Crime and Corruption in St. Paul, 1920-1936". I highly recommend it if you are interested in reading further about St. Paul's criminal past.

Grayed-out photos mean the stucture has been demolished and is no longer present. The photo is only of the current site.

Please note: If you decide to go on a real tour, most residences listed here are private homes. Anyone viewing them should respect that.