This history of the Reuben sandwich is long and complex, and the sandwich’s presence extends to our current time. Knuckles, the restaurant at Lakeside Motel & Resort in Trout Creek, Montana, currently offers an “all-day” menu with several handheld options, and one of them is a sandwich known as The Prospector. This sandwich is described as “corned beef with grilled sauerkraut, melted Swiss cheese, and Thousand Island dressing, served on toasted rye bread.” For anyone who knows classic American sandwiches, The Prospector can easily be thought of as Lakeside’s version of, or tribute to, the beloved Reuben sandwich.

The history of the Reuben is part food history, part regional debate, and part American restaurant and delicatessen legend. The sandwich itself is familiar: a warm grilled sandwich built around corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian or Thousand Island dressing, traditionally served on rye bread. It is closely associated with American delicatessen culture, especially kosher-style delis, even though the combination of meat and cheese means the sandwich is not kosher under traditional dietary guidelines.

What Is a Reuben Sandwich?

Before looking at the history of the Reuben, it helps to understand why the sandwich has become so memorable. The Reuben balances rich, salty, sweet, tangy, creamy, and crisp in one grilled sandwich. Corned beef provides the savory center. Sauerkraut adds sharpness. Swiss cheese melts into the warm filling. Russian dressing or Thousand Island dressing brings creaminess and sweetness. Rye bread gives the sandwich its sturdy, toasted frame. As a reference, Wikipedia describes the Reuben as an American grilled sandwich made with corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian or Thousand Island dressing between slices of rye bread, grilled or toasted until the bread is crisp and the cheese is melted.

That description is also why Lakeside’s Prospector feels so connected to the history of the Reuben. With corned beef, grilled sauerkraut, melted Swiss cheese, Thousand Island dressing, and toasted rye bread, it follows the same flavor path that made the Reuben famous. Even though The Prospector does not carry the same name, as a tribute sandwich it carries and honors the familiar ingredients, brought together in a hearty handheld meal.

Why the History of the Reuben Is Still Debated

The history of the Reuben is not tied to one universally accepted origin story. Instead, two main claims have stayed in circulation: one from Omaha, Nebraska, and one from New York City. Both stories include a person named Reuben, a restaurant or hotel setting, and a sandwich that became closely connected to American dining culture. That overlap is part of what makes the history of the Reuben interesting. It is not just a recipe. It is a debate over memory, menus, family stories, restaurant records, and regional identity.

The Omaha, Nebraska Origin Story

One of the most widely repeated versions of the history of the Reuben begins in the 1920s, in Omaha, Nebraska, at the Blackstone Hotel. In this account, Reuben Kulakofsky, a grocer in Omaha, was a regular participant in a weekly poker game held at the hotel. The group reportedly included Charles Schimmel, the hotel’s owner. During one of these gatherings, Kulakofsky asked for a sandwich made with corned beef and sauerkraut. Bernard Schimmel, Charles Schimmel’s son, was working in the kitchen and is credited in this story with assembling the sandwich by adding Swiss cheese and dressing and placing it on rye bread.

In a Saveur article by Bernard Schimmel’s granddaughter Elizabeth Weil, the Omaha story includes additional details. In this version, the poker players became hungry and called down to the kitchen for food. Bernard Schimmel, who oversaw the kitchen, created a hot pressed sandwich with corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, Russian dressing, and rye bread for Reuben Kulakofsky. The sandwich was well received, eventually appeared on hotel menus, and later gained broader recognition when the recipe was entered into a national sandwich contest in the 1950s.

The Omaha claim gained strength because of early menu references. The Saveur article reports that the Nebraska State Historical Society found a 1937 Blackstone coffee shop menu listing a Reuben, while the Douglas County Historical Society found a 1934 Blackstone main dining room menu listing the sandwich. Those menu references are important to the history of the Reuben because they show the sandwich name appearing in Omaha before other documented references.

The New York City Origin Story

The other major version of the history of the Reuben points to New York City and Arnold Reuben, owner of Reuben’s Delicatessen. In this account, the sandwich is connected to the city’s theater and deli culture in the early 20th century. Wikipedia notes that one New York version credits Arnold Reuben with creating a “Reuben Special” around 1914, and another telling connects the sandwich to Broadway actress Marjorie Rambeau visiting Reuben’s Delicatessen late one night.

Saveur also discusses the New York claim through food historian Andrew Smith’s argument. According to that account, Arnold Reuben’s deli served theater celebrities, and Reuben may have created a sandwich called the “Annette Seelos Special” for a performer connected with Charlie Chaplin. That sandwich included ham, cheese, turkey, coleslaw, and dressing. Smith also pointed to later New York-related documentation involving a Reuben-style sandwich with rye bread, Swiss cheese, corned beef, sauerkraut, and dressing.

Britannica summarizes the New York story by noting that food historian Francine Segan attributed the sandwich to Arnold Reuben in 1914. However, Britannica also points out that this early claimed version was made with ham, turkey, Swiss cheese, coleslaw, and Russian dressing on rye, which differs from the modern Reuben that most diners recognize today.

This difference is one reason the history of the Reuben remains complex and so interesting. The Omaha version more closely resembles the modern corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, dressing, and rye combination. The New York version connects the name “Reuben” to deli culture and an early sandwich, but some versions of the sandwich used ingredients that were not the same as those used in today’s Reuben.

A Sandwich Worth Remembering

The sandwich has lasted because the combination works so well. It is warm, filling, flavorful, and easy to recognize. It also invites variation. Britannica notes that Reuben variants include kosher, Montreal (smoked meat), walleye, grouper, vegetarian, and vegan versions. That flexibility shows how a sandwich can become a template while still keeping its original identity.

That is also where Lakeside’s Prospector fits naturally into the story. It does not try to settle the history of the Reuben. Instead, it gives guests in Trout Creek, Montana, a way to enjoy the flavors that made the sandwich famous. For travelers, locals, and guests staying on the property, it is a familiar handheld option with a classic American connection.

Enjoying Reuben-Inspired Flavor at Lakeside Motel & Resort

Lakeside Motel & Resort is a great place to stop for a sandwich and can offer much more. The resort is located on the shores of Noxon Reservoir in northwest Montana, with mountain views and easy access to outdoor activities such as fishing, boating, hiking, and hunting in the Trout Creek area.

For lodging, Lakeside offers flexible accommodations that help make it a one-stop venue in northwest Montana. Guests can choose motel rooms, cabins and suites with fully equipped kitchens and seating areas, and two waterfront RV sites with hookups for electricity, water, and sewer.

The on-site dining is part of that convenience. Lakeside’s restaurant offers breakfast, “all-day” selections, and dinner, allowing guests to enjoy meals without leaving the property. For a traveler spending the day around Noxon Reservoir, that matters. You can stay on-site, eat on-site, and enjoy the kind of warm, satisfying handheld that connects back to the history of the Reuben.

The history of the Reuben may always include some debate, but that is part of its charm. Omaha has the Blackstone Hotel poker game. New York City has the deli and theater story. Across both versions, the Reuben remains a sandwich people remember and reinterpret. At Lakeside Motel & Resort, The Prospector carries that tradition forward in northwest Montana.

Sources:
McDonald, Will (Encyclopedia Britannica). “Reuben Sandwich.” britannica.com. 10 May 2025 (Updated). https://www.britannica.com/topic/Reuben-sandwich.
Weil, Elizabeth (Saveur). “Who Really Invented the Reuben?” saveur.com. 6 September 2016 (Published). https://www.saveur.com/reuben-sandwich-origin-history/.
Wikipedia. “Reuben Sandwich.” wikipedia.org. 15 May 2026 (Last Edited). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reuben_sandwich.