Prohibition and Kewaunee County

Homeowners try their best to rid the lawn of dandelions. Back in the 1920’s, some found a yard full of dandelions as good as it could get.

Prohibition was in force. Dandelions, wild grapes, and elderberries were coveted ingredients for homemade wine. When Congress passed the Volstad Act, it was illegal to buy, sell or drink alcohol except for religious or medicinal purposes. The Volstad Act covered so many facets of life that just touching an alcoholic product could have been a crime. Suddenly many had medical problems requiring alcohol, but physicians and drug stores had problems. If the government approved the sale to a doctor, it was for one pint that was to cover ten days. A physician could get an emergency stock of 6 quarts of whiskey for a year, but the sale was carefully documented.

It was not long before there were rumors of bootlegging and moonshine in Kewaunee County. Raids followed. There were seizures of moonshine and then the stills were found. In 1921 a sizeable still in Forestville was seized. Apparently the owners tried to destroy it, but agents claimed they found cooked mash. Just after that, agents intimidated a farm woman who would not unlock a shed. They broke the lock and found a fifty-five gallon drum. About the same time agents raided 16 or 18 taverns in the southern and western part of the county but only found two saloon keepers with liquor. The agents got lucky when they found a still in the tree tops on a Carlton farm. On completing the batch of moonshine, the farmer hid the still where he felt nobody would ever find it. 

In one instance taverns were raided, product was confiscated and money was taken from the cash drawers. That turned out to be what some called a frame-up. The feds were on the way, but scammers got there first. When some young Algoma men returned from a dance and were arrested for drunken driving, agents found shacks hidden in the hills west of town. That was reported to be “real Kentucky product.” The usual fine for the first offense was $200, but that Kentucky product must have been good. It brought in $400. A second offense brought jail. Some of Kewaunee County’s older folks still reminisce about the bottles hidden under the gutter boards in the barn. There was safety in manure!

The greatest effect of Prohibition was a disrespect of law. It was finally repealed in 1933, the depths of the Depression. After all, liquor sales are revenue enhancing.