Prohibition

ProhibitionThe Age of Rum Running and Gangsters.DefinitionsProhibition the banning of the manufacturing, sale and consumption of alcohol.

wet an establishment or county that allows alcohol

dry an establishment or county where alcohol is not served or is prohibited.How it all beganThe manufacture and sale of alcohol was banned in Canada due to the Womens Christian Temperance Union

Argued alcohol caused poverty, criminal activity, absenteeism from work, and violence in the home

How it all beganWWI helped achieve prohibition nationally

Sympathy for soldiers who were not able to enjoy a drink with friends

Ingredients were needed to feed the troops

So it beganBetween 1915-1917 every province, except Quebec, outlawed alcohol

This resulted in a drop in crime rate and poverty and an increase in business activity

But there were lots of loop holesThose with money could still purchase illegal bathtub ginDoctors could still prescribe alcohol for patients

AndProhibition was not popular among voters and returning veterans

In the USAAlcohol was banned in 1920 Called the Volstead Act

Prohibition lasted until 1933

In the In the USACanada now had a golden opportunity to supply the USA with illegal liquor

The legalization of liquor in Canada and the prohibition of alcohol in the USA created a huge smuggling industry in the 1920s

Rum Running...Some smuggling was small scale:

Individual smugglers used special clothing to hide bottles under

Rum Running... Some were large scale:

Ships from the Maritimes

Speed boats from Ontario

Rum Running...Cars and trucks in the prairies

Salmon trawlers in BC

Rum Running...Rum running was very profitable for Canada

Our government seemed content to close their eyes to the practice

Rum Runner Celebrities Al CaponeMany Canadians admired the way Rum Runners flouted the US authorities

The most famous bootlegger was Al Capone who ran an organized crime ring out of Chicago

Rum Runner Celebrities Al CaponeThe police tried for years to convict Capone for over 400 murders and other illegal activities

The FBI finally convicted his for tax evasion in 1931 and he died in Alcatraz prison in 1947

Al Capones Canadian Connection Moose JawI dont even know what street Canada is on, - Al Capone

Capone claimed that he had never visited, nor knew anything about Canada

Capone was spotted several times during the 1920s in Canada

Al Capones Canadian Connection Moose JawHe reportedly used the citys underground tunnels to travel between hotels and restaurants unnoticed

American gangsters did business in Moose Jaw

Al Capones Canadian Connection Moose JawDuring American prohibition the town was important for booze deliveries to the U.S.

Capone was responsible for large shipments of liquor from distilleries across the Canada-U.S. border using rail cars and boats

Al Capone is Treated by a Canadian PhysicianDr. Hugh Young, a physician from Moose Jaw, says he was called late one night, blindfolded and led through a series of tunnels to Capones hotel room

He claims Capone had an abscess on his tonsil and asked Dr. Young to remove it without anesthetic

There were lots of stories of Al Capone in Moose Jaw but there is no photographic proofAl Capones Canadian Connection - QuadevilleThe large cottage he stayed in had many rooms and three underground tunnels to escape if the police showed up

Inside the cottage one room has evidence of a torture chamber of some kind

There is also a wooden structure to the right in the forest that may be part of the tunnel system or may have been a moonshine distillery

A Canadian Takes on Al Capones Gang Almost!Lumber was supplied by a local man who was never paid

One day he decided to drive down to Chicago to confront the gang and get his money

Someone there simply told him that if he valued his life he had better go home

He did!!Rum Running The Local ConnectionIn 1857, a distillery was founded in Waterloo, Ontario

Joseph E. Seagram became a partner in 1869 and sole owner in 1883, and the company became known as Joseph E. Seagram & Sons

Rum Running The Local ConnectionThe company enjoyed substantial growth in the 1920s, in part due to Prohibition in the United States

Although they were never convicted of criminal activity, the company allegedly dealt with bootleggers during the US Prohibition-era