William's Night Club

In the early days, a number of hotels, rooming houses, and saloons made Ranier a pretty lively place. One of the largest and most flourishing of these establishments was the William's Night Club, owned by Bob Williams, located where the post office is now. Bob Williams, along with his wife Lil, also owned and operated Kettle Falls Hotel on Rainy Lake.

During prohibition, Ranier, due to its proximity to Canadian whiskey became a port of entry for a good deal of illegal booze. This gave the town a somewhat unsavory reputation and, for a time, the nickname "Little Chicago." Bob Williams played a major role in the bootlegging business and used Kettle Falls and his Night Club as centers of operation for many illicit activities, he was even in partnership with Bugs Malone from time to time.