Rum Running and the Roaring Twenties

On January 17, 1920, the Eighteenth Amendment took effect in the United States, prohibiting the manufacture, sale, use, or importation of alcoholic beverages. Many thought this action would bring peace and tranquility to the country, but that was not the case. Instead, the Prohibition experiment failed dismally in the United States, and nowhere worse than in Michigan. The state's proximity to Canada, where large amounts of liquor were manufactured, made it a major center for the smuggling and sale of illegal alcohol. Although federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies attempted to stop the flow of liquor into Michigan, an astounding 75 percent of all illegal liquor brought into the United States was transported across the Detroit River from Canada. Philip P. Mason regales readers with stories of the bungled efforts by officials at every level to control the smuggling and sale of illegal alcohol. Most entertaining are the creative smuggling efforts undertaken by citizens from all walks of life-from the poor to the affluent, from upstanding citizens to organized criminals and gangsters. Using police and court records, newspaper accounts, and interviews with those who lived during the time, Mason has constructed a fascinating history of life in Michigan during Prohibition.