The barber shop is a great place to pick up ideas and tell stories you may have heard from your father or grandfather about the "good old days." At one of my barber shop visits we addressed the topic of prohibition in the Thumb area and the 1920s when it all started, or did it?

I decided to do some investigative work on what went on in the Thumb during the Prohibition Era. Several years ago, when working on Video History projects for Bad Axe, Harbor Beach, Lapeer and Sebewaing, my son, David, and I came across some very interesting and reliable information, plus we found a few photographs about Prohibition times in the area.

At the library, we checked some references on the subject and found the movement to abolish the sale of alcoholic beverages was actually established in 1869. The Prohibition Party formed because the Republican and Democratic parties refused to address the prohibition of beer, wine and whiskey on their platform. A few years later, in 1874 the Woman's Christian Temperance Union got started. The WCTU had an active group in Lapeer in the early 1900s. They met in small groups in the village and at the township and county levels. I am sure they also put the pressure on their husbands for their conformation. Some church groups supported the movement and by 1893 a group called the Anti-Saloon League was organized in Ohio.

The newspapers carried many stories about the various efforts of Prohibition groups working in the state. By the early 1900s there were some areas in the state where the "Wet" and "Dry" description would apply as regulated by village or township laws. In 1913 the United States Congress passed a law prohibiting the shipments of liquor from a Wet state to a Dry state.

The Michigan State legislature, in 1916, voted and made into law, effective May 1, 1917, a statewide ban on the sale of beer, wine and whiskey. Ohio was still a Wet state, which resulted in heavy traffic for the smuggling of illegal booze into Michigan. The roads from Toledo to Monroe were well traveled to acquire the booze for distribution. After May of 1917 the smuggling of booze into Michigan became a very big business operation. Next, the Federal government stepped in and passed a law prohibiting the use of the U.S. mail to promote or advertise the sale of alcoholic beverages. At this time, Michigan Judges and the penalties for violation were very lenient - first time offenders might get a $20 fine. Second and third time offenders could go to jail. There are a few stories of some offenders getting life in prison in Michigan. By 1919, the Prohibition Law was repealed in Michigan, and the prisoners were let go. The Michigan Legislature had determined they couldn't enforce the law. But things changed on February 1, 1920, when the Federal Government passed the 18th Amendment, which established a National Prohibition.

When our soldiers returned from WWI, you can imagine how displeased they were with this new law! Their favorite tavern or bar was now closed. The Federal Government also put some teeth into the Jones Law, as it was called. This provided for a $10,000 fine for violations against this law. The Ohio smuggling operations ended and a new source was found in Canada. Just across the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair there is Ontario; with 45 distilleries and breweries, it became the manufacturing and distribution center for smuggling into Michigan.

At Sebewaing, the brewery had to stop making beer, but they acquired a license to make Malt Extract, which they could sell to people who wanted to make beer at home - making beer at home was permitted. My grandfather, Carl Sting, had a large vineyard of Niagara, cinnamon and white grapes. During the years of Prohibition, he had a license from the County to make and sell wine for use at Churches in their administering of the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Grandpa Sting told me stories of the many deputies from the Sheriff's department that stopped by the farmhouse near Pigeon to regularly check the number of barrels and gallons of wine he was making. Grandpa always let them sample the various wines.

There were a few "Bootleg Whiskey Stills" in Huron and Tuscola County, and I am sure in many parts of the Thumb. We found a photograph showing a collection of illegal equipment confiscated during raids on whiskey still installations and blind pigs in Huron County where slot machines were in use. The Michigan State Police and the Huron County Sheriff's office must have worked together in some of these raids as officers from each organization can be seen in the photo. In the picture, there are also 27 slot machines, many whiskey barrels and a huge pile of equipment used in making whiskey. During Prohibition, which lasted 13 years, Huron County had a turnover of 8 people to serve as Sheriff. One woman, by the name of LuLu McCauley, also served in this honorable post during the Prohibition period.

At Harbor Beach the town marshall, Coast Guard and those on the watch for the "Rum Runners" coming from Canada saw a lot of action with the smuggling of illegal booze. Probably the most bizarre event occurred in Lapeer when Carrie Nation came to town on one of her many "Whistle Stop Tours". She was a Prohibitionist through and through and was known for her actions in several saloons where she did a hatchet job on the barroom equipment. She heard about the local tavern owner near the Lapeer depot and having some time decided to call on Dick Burden, the tavern owner. Apparently, the locals who frequented the tavern where "near beer" was sold and maybe other beverages on occasion, decided to alert Mr. Burden that Carrie Nation was coming. As Carrie walked from the depot to the tavern a crowd gathered to watch the show. Dick Burden, in his apron, stood watching on the porch entrance of the tavern as Carrie approached. There was no way she was going to do a hatchet job on his tavern. Dick had been a clown with the Ringling Brothers Circus before buying the tavern. Carrie accused Burden of being a fat, lazy barkeeper. Burden, in the manner of a clown, cried profusely. The crowd loved the show and laughed, showing full support for Burden. Carrie left the scene in a rage, waving her arms as people went in the tavern to have a beer or something better.

By 1929, illegal liquor and beer sales coming from Canada and from the Michigan bootlegger stills was estimated to be around 220 million dollars, the second largest business in the state next to the auto industry. In 1932, the Republican and Democratic parties began to take action in repealing the Law. Michigan legalized the making and the sale of beer in May of 1933. By December of 1933 as many as 36 states had agreed to the repeal of the Prohibition Law. Here in Michigan, during the Prohibition Era from 1919 to 1933, nearly 55,000 people were prosecuted in County and State Courts…and THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS!

Al and Dave Eicher provide television production services to corporations, ad agencies, and nonprofit organizations. They also create Michigan town histories and offer lecture services on a variety of Michigan History Events. You may contact them at 248-333-2010; Email: info@program-source.com; Website: www.program-source.com; Address: PSI, P.O. Box 444, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303.