[2] It was nominated for its associations with the roadhouse network that developed in the early-20th-century St. Croix Valley, and for its quaint log cabin motif designed to attract the first generation of automobile travelers.

[3][4] These isolated but easily accessible businesses, strategically located just outside city limits, were rumored to provide alcohol, gambling, prostitution, and safe harbor for gangsters.

Corrupt officials had made Saint Paul a haven for Midwestern gangsters, and the St. Croix Valley had its own network of roadhouses.

[4] Since the businesses at the site deliberately wished to avoid official attention, their exact history, clientele, and services resist substantiation.

A new owner purchased the business in 1966, shortening the name to Club Tara, expanding the menu, and converting the back room to additional dining space.