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 began•The manufacture and sale of alcohol was banned in Canada due to the Women’s Christian Temperance Union

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

How it all began•WWI 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 began…•Between 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 holes…

•Those with money could still purchase illegal bathtub gin•Doctors could still prescribe alcohol for patients

And…

•Prohibition was not popular among voters and returning veterans

In the USA…

•Alcohol was banned in 1920 – Called the Volstead Act

•Prohibition lasted until 1933

In the

In the USA…•Canada 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 1920’s

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 Capone

•Many 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 Capone

•The 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 Capone’s Canadian Connection – Moose Jaw

•“I don’t 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 Capone’s Canadian Connection – Moose Jaw

•He reportedly used the city’s underground tunnels to travel between hotels and restaurants unnoticed

•American gangsters did business in Moose Jaw

Al Capone’s Canadian Connection – Moose Jaw

•During 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 Physician

•Dr. Hugh Young, a physician from Moose Jaw, says he was called late one night, blindfolded and led through a series of tunnels to Capone’s 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 proof

Al Capone’s Canadian Connection - Quadeville

•The 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 Capone’s 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 Connection

•In 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 Connection

•The 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

•Sleemans Brewery in Guelph was also known to ship illegal beer to the US