saint paul gangster tour

GANGSTERS, BOOTLEGGERS, & FEDS

WANTED! You! To discover the seedy side of Prohibition Era St Paul!

“If you were looking for a guy you hadn’t seen for a few months, you usually thought of two places — prison or St. Paul.” - Alvin “Creepy” Karpis

In the 1930s St Paul was known as a “crooks haven”, a safe place for criminals to hide or reside under the knowing gaze of the city police force. During this 2-hour tour, your guide brings the past to life as you walk the same streets that made our capital city so attractive to gangsters and bank robbers, bootleggers and kidnappers. Discover how dirty cops, Prohibition, and the Great Depression combined to create a St Paul for sinners and see where many were eventually brought to justice.

Includes a drink in a former notorious gambling den and speakeasy AND popcorn from a St Paul institution that got its start during the gangster days.

Tour Information

• Public Tour: 3pm-5pm Fridays (Jun - Sep)
• Private Tour:  Select your own day and time!  Contact us  for availability and booking
• Public Tour:  $45 per person
• Private Tour:  Varies depending on number of guests
• Begins at Science Museum of Minnesota ( 120 W Kellogg Blvd, St Paul, MN 55102 ) outside main entrance on Kellogg Blvd; ends on St Peter Street
• Hear how St Paul became a safe haven city, opening the door for many of America's most wanted criminals to hide out during prohibition and beyond
• Learn about Prohibition and its Minnesota connections
• Visit sites where hideouts and speakeasies and gangsters mixed in with ordinary businesses and citizens
• Munch on popcorn from a St Paul institution that got its start during the gangster days
• Have a drink in a former notorious gambling den and speakeasy
• See where bootleggers and other notorious gangsters faced the music in federal court
• Walk in the footsteps of the likes of John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, Doc Barker, "Creepy" Karpis, Bugs Moran, J Edgar Hoover and more
• Researched and accurate historical facts
• A choice of our signature Bootlegger cocktail, craft beer, wine or MN made Lift Bridge Root Beer Soda at a revitalized gangster’s hangout – drink where the gangsters drank!
• The same tasty popcorn that gangsters enjoyed before going to the pictures – this historic shop is a real treat!
• Knowledgeable tour guide

  “If you were looking for a guy you hadn’t seen for a few months, you usually thought of two places — prison or St. Paul.” ~Alvin “Creepy” Karpis

In the 1930s St Paul was known as a “crooks haven”, a safe place for criminals to hide or reside under the knowing gaze of the city police force. Police profited off the nefarious activities of infamous criminals John Dillinger, “Baby Face” Nelson, “Machine Gun" Kelly, the Barker-Karpis Gang, “Scarface” Al Capone, and many more. Your guide brings the past to life as you walk the same streets that made our capital city so attractive to gangsters and bank robbers, bootleggers and kidnappers. Below your feet lie miles of dank, disused tunnels once the network for transporting illicit beer and liquor. Sip your included cocktail at a modern-day speakeasy located in a former notorious gambling den. Discover how dirty cops, Prohibition, and the Great Depression combined to create a St Paul for sinners and see where many were eventually brought to justice.

© Twin Cities Sightseeing Tours 2024 | Powered by: Avallo, Custom CMS

St. Paul Gangster Tour

• See all photos

Saint Paul Gangster Tour

Same-Day Tour Package (Historic Cave Tour & Saint Paul Gangster Tour)

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

St. Paul Gangster Tour - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Saint Paul Gangster Tour

• Air-conditioned vehicle
• Restroom on board
• 2-hour gangster tour by bus
• 215 Wabasha St S, St Paul, MN 55107, USA arrive 15 mins early for limited free parking. Look for the Open sign.
• Not wheelchair accessible
• Stroller accessible
• Service animals allowed
• Near public transportation
• Confirmation will be received at time of booking
• Most travelers can participate
• This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
• This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
• This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 travelers
• All sales are final and incur 100% cancellation penalties.

Similar experiences

• You'll start at 215 Wabasha St S 215 Wabasha St S, St Paul, MN 55107, USA arrive 15 mins early for limited free parking. Look for the Open sign. See address & details
• 1 Saint Paul Stop: 45 minutes See details
• 2 South Saint Paul Stop: 20 minutes See details
• 3 West Saint Paul Stop: 30 minutes See details
• You'll return to the starting point

• epomes 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Very entertaining and informative! I didn’t expect to be so entertained but I was! Sister Celeste is funny and informative. I would recommend this tour to families with older kids or groups of adults (I went with my two sisters). We learned a lot and had a thoroughly good time!! Read more Written August 31, 2021
• D-DMN 0 contributions 4.0 of 5 bubbles St Paul Gangsters Tour Very interesting and the tour guide was quite entertaining. Would have been nice to get out of the bus and stretch our legs though. Read more Written December 9, 2019
• MNgopher1 0 contributions 4.0 of 5 bubbles Interesting tour Very interesting tour of yesteryear in St. Paul. Tour guide was not only informative but added a bit of humor. I can see for someone visiting St. Paul they would be amazed at the gangster history and the attitude of local officials. Read more Written October 20, 2019
• Brando62 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Murder, Kidnapping, Robberies, Double Dealing Criminals and Cops It's not fiction, its' reality. St. Paul in the 20s and 30s was the place to be if you were a criminal. The police looked the other way as long as you didn't..... I won't give away the whole story. I am a lifelong St. Paul resident and took this tour - I knew most of the stories and history but this guided luxury bus tour does a great job of weaving together the stories of the gangster past in St. Paul. Minneapolis had nothing on the "Saintly" City back in the day. Read more Written September 30, 2019
• O6jms 0 contributions 4.0 of 5 bubbles Fun & Educational afternoon The bus was comfortable, the docent was in character for the entire afternoon and I learned. Es things about St. Paul even though we’ve lived I. The Twin Cities for 40 years. It was a good way for some “ one on one” time with my 15 year old grandson. Read more Written September 22, 2019
• snufzoe1234 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Wonderful Tour My sisters and I took the Gangster Tour. It was a lot of fun. Our guide "Babe" was very entertaining as well as informative! Would certainly do tour again with my husband! Read more Written September 16, 2019
• Hei N 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Most Excellent!! Wow! What a great experience!! The driver and tour guide “Babe” were excellent! Nearly 2 hours of constant historical information, relayed in an entertaining, amusing, and easy to understand way. So much history in St. Paul! The bus was comfy and I could see very well. Read more Written November 6, 2018
• jwhome100 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Absolutely more than I ever expected I did this as a private tour with a group. Our tour guide, Michelle, played Babe Delaney with the dress and accent of the time. She was fantastic, entertaining, and easy to hear despite the size of the group. I never knew that Duluth was such a place in the day. I suggest both the Cave and Gangster tours, but kids may not be all that interested. Read more Written September 28, 2018
• Samcardon 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Great activity for families of all ages We went with our family, ranging in ages from 11 to seniors. All were interested in the tour. For some reason I thought it was a walking tour and was pleasantly surprised that it was a bus tour. Our tour guide, the chief of police, was very knowledgeable. We combined this tour with the Wabasha Street Cave Tour. I believe they only run concurrent on two days a week, so check it out on the website and book ahead. Highly recommend to families of various ages. Read more Written September 1, 2018
• MarleyB124 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Don’t miss one if the best ours in St Paul While not well advertised (or for that matter advertised at all) we found this tour by looking at Trip Advisor and loved it’. At first it may seem like there are not a lot of tourist things to do in St Paul. But take this bus tour and you will get not only learn a little but of gangster history but it is a great overview of the city so you can go back and explore other sites after the tour. Combine it with the Wabasha Cave Tour. Book in advance because the Gangster tour sells out and only offered once a day. Read more Written August 5, 2018
• missstaciaj 0 contributions 3.0 of 5 bubbles Interesting Stuff If you're interested in St Paul's history at all this is a fun a little activity to learn some of that. The tour guide has a great personality and the bus is comfortable however I will say it was a little hard to hear through the speaker system at the back of the bus which made it a little hard to follow. Make sure you get there on time to get a good seat. Read more Written July 28, 2018
• Marva J 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Visiting for Vikings Game This trip is very informative and fun. Baby face Nelson was great. Recommend this trip for everyone, especially if you didn't know how St. Paul contributed to gangsters and prohibition. Read more Written September 10, 2017
• skvalley 0 contributions 4.0 of 5 bubbles Girls weekend 2017 We recently took part in the Saint Paul Gangsta Tour and it was not what we expected. It was a 2 hour bus tour that went all over St. Paul showing us different locations of things that happened during the 1900s. Interesting, yes, but not great at all. Our tour guide, Helen I believe her name was, was good but she talked non-stop the entire time. It was a combo of rambling, babbling, and everything was so fast that she said that it was hard to undsrstand and track what she was saying. She barely came up for air she spoke so much! I get there is a lot of info to pack in, but when she goes on, and on and on you kind of loose interest and can't figure oit what she is talking about. She did hand out a flyer AT THE END of the tour explaining who all of these people she was talking about were which is great BUT had she done this in the beginning, it would've been luch better becuase we would've been able to follow along better and make some better sense of what she was saying. The best part of the tour was going down Summit with all the beautiful homes however, the drive went so fast that wd really couldn't see all of the homes or even the ones she was pointing out. Needless to say, I am not from that area but one in our group was and she was disappointed too. At the end of the tour, Helen mentioned that she is an actress and paid to do this job and that tips are accepted! So you ramble nonstop, bore have of the group and then ask for tips. Unbelievable. I have been on many, many tours in many cities both stateside and international and this one was by far the worst! Read more Written August 21, 2017
• Patricia L 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles 2 hour bus tour of city with guide in 1934 Gang dress, Talked non stop for two hours you learn who lived where what was going on in St Paul, MN how the city police protected know Gang members. With many stories added about police and Gang life well worth the less then $30 cost. Would recommend you think of time slot and carry your water and have snack ready. Read more Written August 4, 2017
• Cindy E 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Gangster Tour We thoroughly enjoyed this bus tour. Be sure to make reservations ahead of time - they added an afternoon tour when the morning one filled.....and the afternoon filled too. Our guide took on the persona of a historical gangster figure and entertained us for more than 2 hours with stories and information of the gangster era. We visited sites and made one stop where we could get off the bus and stretch. Time flew by. In addition to historical sites, current sites were also pointed out. A fun,educational, interesting, relaxing afternoon! Read more Written July 12, 2017

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Saint Paul Gangster Tour provided by St. Paul Gangster Tour

Gangster Tours

Our Gangster-Guided Tours have been suspended temporarily for the safety of our guests, character guides, and staff.

Imagine that you’re living in St. Paul’s tumultuous era of prohibition and gangsters. Our Gangster Tours are enhanced by costumed guides who adopt the personae of the infamous gangsters who resided in St. Paul during the 1930s and whose path took them (perhaps unwillingly) into the Federal Court House (now Landmark Center). Guides tell of their “lives as gangsters” and how the criminal justice system functioned during that era. Told with humor, accuracy and liveliness, these tours educate about the life and times of people like “Ma” Barker, Alvin “Creepy” Karpis, John Dillinger and his moll Evelyn Freschette, and more. Many of them were held in our third floor Detention Room, were tried in Courtroom 317, or faced down J. Edgar Hoover’s G-men on the front steps. Please note: This tour is not recommended for children under the age of 12.

$6/person (minimum $75) Two-week advance reservation required through our tour office. There is a fee for no-shows and late cancellation. There is an additional charge of $25 per tour guide for all evening tours.

authentic - Researched - Engaging THINGS TO DO IN  Saint Paul, MINNESOTA

Get your cyncity tours gift cards for the history lover.

Give the Gift of History and Entertainment!

Buy tour Tickets Here!

See calendar below for all our upcoming scheduled tours and events.  click on a date to select a tour date and purchase tickets. once purchased, there is no need to print tickets.  just be ready to show them to your tour guide on your phone. looking for a specific tour or event click or tap on the buy tickets menu option to go to specific tickets page for our regularly scheduled tours. , upcoming tours.

General Tour Information

Please arrive 10 minutes prior to the tour start time in order to allow time to register and agree to tour terms. All guests must register. 

For Gangsterland and Haunted Rice Park tours, meet your guide at Infor Commons, 380 St. Peter St. near Rice Park and The Saint Paul Hotel.  Metered parking is available along with parking in the nearby Lowry Ramp.  Free street parking is available on Sundays.

For Ghost & Gables Summit Avenue Tours meet your guide at Summit Overlook Park at the corner of Summit Avenue and Ramsey Street.  Free street parking available in the area.

For Union Depot tours there is plenty of parking available near the location.

See ticket details for other specialty tours locations and parking options.

Wear appropriate clothing for the weather conditions.  For the downtown tours, we walk in buildings, skyways and on sidewalks.

Our tours last anywhere from 75 to 90-minutes, depending on the tour.

Ticket Pricing: These prices include all fees sales tax but do not include optional tips for our guides. See tickets for Event and Tour pricing.

Join Us On Any of our Tours

Our tours are always changing with new stories and new venues to visit.  If you haven't taken a tour, come join us.  If you have taken a tour, come back again, as the story is always engaging and evolving! 

Schedule a Private Tour!

   Any of our regularly scheduled tours can be chosen for a private tour for a minimum of 6 people. If you want a more general city sampler tour, we can put that together too.

We will work with you to customize and make it special.  

We limit the walking tours to maximum of 20 guests. If there are more, we can add another guide and split the group into two tours to accommodate 40. If the group is more than 40, we can add a third guide to accommodate up to 60.  Contact us for your next group outing, party, or just for fun!     

Step-on bus guides are also available.   CynCity also hosts speaking engagements and virtual tours for groups and educational purpose.  Contact us for more information.

• Plan a Trip
• Festivals & Fairs
• Submit Your Event
• Arts & Entertainment
• Museums & History
• Neighborhoods
• Parks & Zoos
• Virtual Tours & Digital Experiences
• Breweries & Brewpubs
• Food Trucks
• Where To Stay
• Saint Paul Deals
• Visitors Guide
• Newsletter Sign-Up
• Getting Here
• Visitor Information Center
• Visit Saint Paul Foundation
• Privacy Policy
• Groups & Weddings

Gangster Past

A look at Saint Paul's notorious involvement in prohibition-era gangster activity.

If you were looking for a guy you hadn’t seen for a few months, you usually thought of two places—prison or Saint Paul.

It's been more than 80 years since the nation's most notorious criminals blighted Saint Paul.

In order to understand what drew these troublemakers to the Capital City, one needs to take a closer look at the political climate of Saint Paul during the late 1920s and early 1930s—starting with a particularly corrupt deal enacted at the turn of the century called the O'Connor Layover Agreement.

In 1900, Saint Paul Detective John O'Connor was promoted to the city's Chief of Police. In an era wrought with illicit activities of smuggling, gambling and racketeering, O'Connor devised a plan to keep crime out of Saint Paul—by harboring criminals within it. The Layover Agreement was an unofficial contract between criminals and O'Connor which stated that gangsters were allowed to take refuge within the city limits under three conditions: 1) they must register or "check in" with police upon arrival at downtown's Hotel Savoy; 2) they must agree to pay bribes to the police and city officials; 3) they must commit no major crimes within the city. While incredibly corrupt, the agreement was largely successful in preventing crime in Saint Paul for the entirety of O'Connor's tenure as Chief of Police.

When O'Connor retired from the force in 1920, things started to get out of hand. At the peak of Prohibition (which began in 1919), it only made sense that the gangster haven of Saint Paul became a center for bootlegging operations and, subsequently, other criminal activities. As Prohibition lost steam in the late 1920s, bootleggers shifted to other illegal means of turning a profit (i.e., bank robbing and kidnapping).

In 1932, more than 20% of the nation's bank robberies took place in Minnesota—though hardly any occurred in Saint Paul.

During this heyday, gangsters could frequently be spotted at the Green Lantern Saloon on Wabasha, Nina Clifford's brothel on Washington Street, The Commodore Hotel in Cathedral Hill and the Castle Royal nightclub tucked away in the Wabasha Street Caves.

The O'Connor system began unraveling under O'Connor's most corrupt predecessor, Tom Brown, who was appointed to Chief of Police in 1930 with assistance from local crime boss Leon Gleckman. In exchange for the strong-armed appointment, Brown agreed to protect Gleckman's illegal business interests. During this time, federal agents began arriving in an attempt to root out the gangster influence in the city—with or without the help of local police. The cover was blown off of Brown's corruption after he received a tip on the whereabouts of the infamous Barker-Karpis gang.

Of course, Brown already knew where the gang was—he was profiting from their illegal endeavors, after all. Brown delayed his response to the tip, allowing the gang time to clear out before the raid. The incident raised questions about how gang escaped, igniting an anti-corruption movement among the public. By 1935, an anti-corruption political regime had taken over and forced the resignation of a majority of the city's police force—eradicating any remnant of the O'Connor system once and for all.

Want to dig in deeper to Saint Paul's criminal past? Schedule a gangster tour or check out these books:

• "Alvin Karpis and the Barker Gang in Minnesota" by Deborah Frethem & Cynthia Schreiner Smith
• "John Dillinger Slept Here: A Crooks' Tour of Crime and Corruption in St. Paul, 1920-1936" by Paul Maccabee
• "Saint Mudd: A Novel of Gangsters and Saints" by Steve Thayer
• "Haunted St. Paul" by Chad Lewis

Gangster Tours

Immerse yourself in the gangster history of Saint Paul with walking and virtual tours through the city.

CynCity Tours

Take a stroll back to the dirty ’30s to find out why St. Paul rolled out the red carpet for infamous gangsters like John Dillinger, Babyface Nelson, Alvin “Creepy” Karpis, the Barker Brothers, Edna Murray “the Kissing Bandit” and many more! See the sites where the gangsters hung out while hearing their fascinating tales told by one of our entertaining Gangster Guides. Walking Ghost Tours of Summit Avenue are also available, as well as Virtual Gangster Tours!

Walking or Virtual Gangster Tours

Celestial Tours

A strange-but-true walking tour through the heart of the city’s safe-city history. In the Middle Ages, people learned about Good and Evil by watching Morality Plays. During Prohibition people in St. Paul people learned about Good and Evil by watching their shamelessly corrupt elected officials …and the parade of convicted felons they cordially invited to “layover for a little while”. An entertaining walking tour that explores the city’s history when America’s Most Wanted lived and died on the streets of St. Paul. Notable sites include the Lowry Hotel, the Hamm’s Casino, Landmark Center, Patrick’s Novelty, the Green Lantern, Rice Park, the Palace Theatre, Mickey’s Diner, the Old Police Station and more.

True Confessions Gangster Tour

Landmark Center

Resuming July 2021! Learn about some of the country’s most ruthless former criminals such as John Dillinger, “Ma” Barker, Alvin “Creepy” Karpis, and Evelyn Frechette as you wander back in time at Landmark Center . Walk through the former Saint Paul courthouse and hear about the lives of America’s most wanted past criminals, those of whom were taken down by J. Edgar Hoover. Become educated with the true accounts of the criminals while the friendly Landmark staff thoughtfully mixes humor and excitement for a unique experience.

Gangster Tour

Wabasha Street Caves

As seen on the History Channel, Wabasha Street Cave 's Down In History Tours offer a unique alternative to the typical tour. These themed tours are narrated by knowledgeable and talented guides who make history fascinating and thrilling. Historically dressed character guides converse and interact with the group members.

Saint Paul Gangster Tour (Bus Tour)

Once the site of numerous gangster trials, the Landmark Center is now the hub of information for discovering some of the hidden gems in Saint Paul.

Who's Who

Three public enemy #1s and a host of other troublemakers. Here's a look at the notorious names and faces of the gangster era in Saint Paul.

Police Chief John O'Connor

Born: October 29, 1855 (Louisville, Kentucky); Died: July 3, 1924 (Los Angeles, California)

Not a gangster, but the man who enabled it all. Police Chief John O'Connor instituted the O'Connor Layover Agreement in 1900—an arrangement that said criminals could take refuge in Saint Paul under the conditions that they 1) checked in with police upon their arrival; 2) agreed to pay bribes to city officials; 3) committed no major crimes within the city. The agreement lasted nearly 40 years, drawing pretty much anyone and everyone with a significant criminal record to the city at some point or another. It operated smoothly and kept the city largely crime free until O'Connor's retirement in 1920, after which Prohibition and mismanagement of the deal by subsequent police chiefs brought rampant criminal activity inside the city limits.

John Dillinger

Born: June 22, 1903 (Indianapolis, Indiana); Died: July 22, 1934 (Chicago, Illinois)

John Dillinger was the most famous gangster who was confirmed to have spent time in Saint Paul. Dillinger's gang robbed two dozen banks and four police stations and, in 1934, he was named Public Enemy #1 by the FBI. In March of that year, Dillinger was hiding out in the Lincoln Court Apartments with his girlfriend Billie Frechette under the alias "Mr. and Mrs. Carl T. Hellman". The Saint Paul Police were tipped off by the landlord, resulting in a shootout that Dillinger and Frechette narrowly escaped. Injured during the Lincoln Court incident, Dillinger and Frechette fled to his father's home in Indiana. Dillinger returned to Chicago at some point during the summer where he hid out until meeting his end at the hands of police and federal agents in July of 1934.

Baby Face Nelson

Born: December 6, 1908 (Chicago, Illinois); Died: November 27, 1934 (Wilmette, Illinois)

Lester Joseph Gillis, known as George Nelson, was a bank robber and murderer in the 1930s. The nickname "Baby Face" was given to him due to his youthful appearance and small stature. Nelson was a partner of John Dillinger and was named Public Enemy #1 following the death of Pretty Boy Floyd in October of 1934. Nelson frequented Saint Paul's Green Lantern Tavern, where he recruited gangsters such as Homer Van Meter, Tommy Carroll and Eddie Green. He was killed in November of 1934 during a gun battle with FBI agents outside of Chicago.

“ Machine Gun” Kelly

Born: July 18, 1895 (Memphis, Tennessee); Died: July 18, 1954 (Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary, Kansas)

George Kelly Barnes, nicknamed "Machine Gun Kelly" for his favorite weapon (a Thompson submachine gun) was a gangster and bootlegger best known for kidnapping oil tycoon Charles F. Urschel in 1933. His reputation in the crime world took off after moving to Saint Paul with his girlfriend, Kathryn Thorne, upon release from prison for bootlegging in 1930. While in Saint Paul, Machine Gun Kelly reunited with criminals Francis Keating and Thomas Holden (who he had met in prison) which kicked off a spree of bank robberies spanning from Iowa to Texas. He was arrested in Memphis, Tennessee on September 26, 1933 and was sentenced to life in prison. Kelly died of heart failure at Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary in 1954.

Fred Barker

Born: December 12, 1901 (Aurora, Missouri); Died: January 16, 1935 (Ocklawaha, Florida)

Fred Barker met Alvin Karpis while serving time for burglary in 1927, and the two formed the Barker-Karpis gang upon their release in 1930. The gang committed a string of burglaries in Kansas before relocating to Saint Paul in 1932. During the aforementioned kidnapping of Edward Bremer, Barker nearly shot Bremer when the ransom was not immediately paid. The gang retreated to Florida in 1935 and a shootout on January 16 resulted in the death of Fred and Ma Barker—the only two members who did not flee the house three days prior to the FBI's arrival.

Arthur ​ “ Doc” Barker

Born: June 4, 1899 (Aurora, Missouri); Died: January 13, 1939 (Alcatraz Island, California)

Arthur Barker was the brother of Fred Barker and was typically called on by the Barker-Karpis gang to carry out more violent actions. He has been described as a "stone-eyed killer", as well as a "dimwit and a drunk." Barker was integral in the Hamm and Bremer kidnappings in Saint Paul, and was arrested on January 8, 1935 in Chicago after splitting off from the rest of the gang. When FBI agents asked where his gun was, Barker famously replied, "Home—and ain't that a hell of a place for it?" He received a life sentence at Alcatraz which was short lived after Barker was shot during an elaborate escape attempt in 1939. Infirmary doctors attempted to give Barker a blood transfusion to keep him alive after being struck by a bullet in the leg, but he ripped the tubes from his arm—preferring death over imprisonment.

Alvin "Creepy" Karpis

Born: August 10, 1907 (Montreal, Quebec, Canada); Died: August 26, 1979 (Torremolinos, Spain)

Nicknamed "Creepy" for his sinister smile, Alvin Karpis was one of three leaders of the bank-robbing Barker-Karpis gang in the 1930s. He was the final Public Enemy #1 of the gangster-era (and the only to be taken alive). Karpis' most notable Saint Paul involvements were the kidnappings of millionaire Minnesota brewer William Hamm and Saint Paul banker Edward Bremer—netting the Barker-Karpis gang $100K and $200K, respectively. These kidnappings put Karpis on the FBI's radar and he hid from the authorities while continuing to commit various crimes before being captured in New Orleans in 1936. Karpis' trial was held at the Saint Paul Federal Court (now the Landmark Center). With twenty-six years, Karpis served the longest sentence of any prisoner at Alcatraz Prison before being released and deported to Canada in 1969. His return to his home country was not an easy one as he struggled to obtain passport credentials due to a lack of fingerprints—he had them removed by underworld physician Joseph Moran in 1934. Karpis later moved to Spain where he died of natural causes in 1979.

Born: October 8, 1873 (Ash Grove, Missouri); Died: January 16, 1935 (Ocklawaha, Florida)

Better known as Ma Barker, Katie Barker was the mother of Fred and Arthur "Doc" Barker. Ma Barker traveled with the Barker-Karpis gang, eventually settling in Saint Paul under the guise of a normal mother living with her sons. The gang's Saint Paul hideout still stands today at 1031 South Robert Street in West Saint Paul. Though some claim Barker was the dangerous brains of the entire Barker-Karpis operation, Alvin Karpis refuted that by saying, “The most ridiculous story in the annals of crime is that Ma Barker was the mastermind behind the Karpis-Barker gang. She wasn't a leader of criminals or even a criminal herself...she knew we were criminals, but her participation in our careers was limited to one function. When we traveled together, we moved as a mother and her sons. What could look more innocent?" Barker was killed alongside her son Fred during a shootout at their Florida hideout in 1935.

Billie Frechette

Born: September 15, 1907 (Menominee Indian Reservation, Wisconsin); Died: January 13, 1969 (Shawano, Wisconsin)

Evelyn "Billie" Frechette" was an American Métis singer, waitress and girlfriend of John Dillinger in the early 1930s. Frechette was involved with Dillinger while he hid out in Saint Paul until her arrest and imprisonment for harboring a criminal in 1934. Frechette's trial took place in room 317 of the Saint Paul Federal Building (now the Landmark Center). She served two years in prison in 1936, then toured the United States with Dillinger's family for five years in their "Crime Did Not Pay" show. Frechette married and returned home to the Menominee Indian Reservation in Wisconsin for a quieter life, passing away from cancer at the age of 61.

Homer Van Meter

Born: December 3, 1905 (Fort Wayne, Indiana); Died: August 23, 1934 (Saint Paul, Minnesota)

Homer Van Meter was a notable criminal associate of both John Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson. Van Meter was known for being a clown and prankster, but was also once described by the director of research at a Michigan City prison as "a criminal of the most dangerous type. Moral sense is perverted and he has no intention of following anything but a life of crime. He is a murderer at heart and if society is to be safeguarded, his type must be confined throughout their natural lives." Van Meter ultimately met his death in 1934 at the corner of Marion Street and University Avenue in Saint Paul when he was confronted by four police officers and fled to a nearby alley from which he fired at the officers with a .45 caliber pistol. The officers opened fire on Van Meter, killing him in a rather gruesome and relentless attack.

Leon Gleckman

Born: July 1, 1894 (Brody, Ukraine); Died: July 14, 1941 (Saint Paul, Minnesota)

Leon Gleckman was known as the "Bootlegging Boss" and "Al Capone of Saint Paul". Gleckman ran his first operation out of the Hamm Building, supplying booze, gambling and prostitutes under the guise of the "St. Paul Recreation Company"—a popular spot that publically offered legitimate activities such as billiards, swimming, boxing and bowling. Gleckman's influence was integral in getting Tom Brown appointed to Chief of Police who, in return, protected Gleckman's various rackets through the prohibition era. In 1930, he took over suite 301-303 at the iconic Saint Paul Hotel. From the hotel, he paid off police and city officials and met with gangsters and politicians. For all intents and purposes, he was in complete control of Saint Paul's government. Gleckman was arrested a handful of times for various liquor operations and, in 1934, was the second man to ever be tried for federal tax evasion (Al Capone was the first). On July 14, 1941, Gleckman was driving with a blood-alcohol level of .23 and crashed his car into a pillar on the Union Depot concourse. His death was ruled accidental, though some believed it to be a suicide spurred on by his impending federal prison sentence.

"Dapper" Danny Hogan

Born: circa 1880 (California); Died: December 4, 1928 (Saint Paul, Minnesota)

"Dapper" Danny Hogan was the boss of Saint Paul's Irish Mob during Prohibition. Known as the "Smiling Peacemaker" to local police officials, Hogan was the go-between between fugitives and police during the early years of the incredibly corrupt O'Connor System. The Federal Department of Justice made several attempts to prosecute Hogan but failed to incarcerate him due to his incredibly close ties with the Saint Paul Police Department. Hogan was killed on December 4, 1928 when turning the ignition of his Paige coupe ignited a bomb beneath the vehicle's floorboards—one of the first ever deaths by car bomb. The murder remains unsolved, though declassified FBI files believe Hogan's underboss Harry Sawyer may have been responsible. Hogan is buried at Saint Paul's Cavalry Cemetery.

Other notable criminals rumored to have hidden out in Saint Paul:

Al "Scarface" Capone

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow (yes, the Bonnie and Clyde)

Roger "The Terrible" Touhy

More to Explore

Related content:.

215 Wabasha St S Saint Paul, Minnesota 55107 (651) 224-1191 West Side Website >

Wabasha Street Caves 215 Wabasha St S Saint Paul, Minnesota 55107

Landmark Center Gangster Tours

75 West 5th Street. Saint Paul, Minnesota 55102 (651) 292-3225 Downtown Website >

Landmark Center Gangster Tours 75 West 5th Street. Saint Paul, Minnesota 55102

(651) 208-4824 Saint Paul Website >

CynCity Tours Oakdale, Minnesota

(651) 243-1707 Saint Paul Website >

Celestial Tours Minnesota

75 W 5th St Saint Paul, Minnesota 55102 (651) 292-3233 Downtown Website >

Landmark Center 75 W 5th St Saint Paul, Minnesota 55102

Cookies Policy

This site uses cookies to provide you with an optimized experience. Learn More

Quick Search

Location map.