ST. PAUL, MN (March 13, 2025) - John Dillinger. Baby Face Nelson. Ma Barker. Alvin “Creepy” Karpis. The St. Paul Saints have more in common with some of the most famous gangsters in history, who made their way to Saint Paul during prohibition, than you might think. Many might consider the Saints the outlaws of Minor League Baseball. Rule breakers. Mischievous. Antiestablishment. Check, check, and check. Put on your flapper dress, don your pinstriped suit, and grab your favorite fedora (but leave the Tommy Gun at home) because the Saints are changing their identity for one night during the 2025 season.
Super June!!!
On June 27 the Saints will lean into the city’s history when they become the Crooks Haven Ghostly Gangsters. In the late 1920s and early 30s, Saint Paul became known as “Crooks’ Haven.” The city became a place where gangsters, robbers, and bootleggers from all over the Midwest were able to hide out safely from the FBI and run their operations. Saint Paul was known as a “sanctuary for criminals” with the help of corrupt politicians and those in power who would turn a blind eye to gangsters’ underground activity.
The 18th Amendment, Prohibition, made the manufacture, sale, transport, import, or export, of alcoholic beverages illegal. This created a hub in many cities across the country with Saint Paul being one of the focal points in the Midwest. Such notorious gangsters as John Dillinger, Babyface Nelson, Roger "the Terrible" Touhy, Machine Gun Kelly, Alvin "Creepy" Karpis, and the Barker gang set up shop in areas like the current Wabasha Caves, where the Saints held their unveiling on Wednesday, March 12, which was used as a nightclub and speakeasy.
