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Northern Choices:
Rural Forest County in the 1920's
By Mark Davis
Part II
IN the early 1920's, two new entrepre¬ neurial options emerged to help strug¬ gling families in the North Country. The first, based upon Americans' unquench¬ able thirst for alcohol, was the illegal but apparently profitable traffic in moon¬ shine. The other was rooted in a new perception ofthe region's forest and lakes. The boosters of logging, railroads, and agriculture began to see that their most valuable resource lay all around them, and with typical enthusiasm and hyper¬ bole they turned to promoting tourism. Violation of federal and state anti- liquor statutes during Prohibition was widespread throughout Wisconsin, and no less so in the North—a result of eco¬ nomic need, the difficulty of enforcing an unpopular law, and the area's proximity to major urban markets in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and Chicago. In Forest County, the ethnic mix ofthe population added to its willingness to produce illegal alcohol. Vodka, distilled from potatoes, was a traditional part of the Polish cul¬ ture; moonshine, distilled from grain, was just as deeply ingrained in the society of the Kentucky mountains. Indeed, migrant Kentuckians prided themselves on the quality of their product. One southern emigrant boasted that his kin did not
"make rot-gut like most of the people in Wisconsin and Michigan."'
Controversy over liquor control had been a part of Forest County almost since its founding. Before national Prohibition took effect in 1920, Wisconsin law allowed towns and cities to decide whether or not to license saloons. As in most communities in the state, voting on the question was an annual ritual throughout Forest County. Crandon had an active chapter of the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), and it usually succeeded in keep¬ ing the city dry. Surrounding towns were another matter, and although elections were often close, saloons usually were per¬ mitted. Laona was wet. Though he ab¬ horred the liquor trade, William Connor, Jr., had to tolerate saloons if he was to hire and keep workers.^
Irrespective of laws, moonshine and illegal saloons—"blind pigs"—flourished in Forest County. In 1905, newspaper editor Frank Brady complained of lax enforcement of the liquor laws and
' Forest Republican, April 1, 1926.
'' Ibid., April 6, 1906, April 7, 1907, January 3 and April 10, 1908; Forest Echo, April 9, 1909; Northern Citizen, March 30, 1917; Northern Advertiser, April 6, 1917.
(Copyright © 1996 by the State Historical Society ofWisconsin All rights of reproduction in any form reserved.
109
Object Description
| Title | Wisconsin magazine of history: Volume 79, number 2, winter, 1995-1996 |
| Article Title | Wisconsin magazine of history: Volume 79, number 2, winter, 1995-1996 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | State Historical Society of Wisconsin |
| Series | Wisconsin Magazine of History ; v. 79, no. 2 |
| Format-Digital | xml |
| Publisher-Electronic | Wisconsin Historical Society |
| Rights | © Copyright 2007 by the Wisconsin Historical Society (Madison, Wisconsin) |
| Publication Date-Electronic | 2007 |
| ISSN | 1943-7366 |
| Identifier-Digital | vol79no020000 |
| Description | This issue includes articles on Forest County in the 1920s and the battle of Cameron Dam. |
| Volume | 079 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Year | 1995-1996 |
Description
| Title | 109 |
| Page Number | 109 |
| Article Title | Northern choices: rural forest county in the 1920's, part II |
| Author | Davis, Mark, 1944- |
| Page type | Article home |
| Format-Digital | jpeg |
| Publisher-Electronic | Wisconsin Historical Society |
| Rights | © Copyright 2007 by the Wisconsin Historical Society (Madison, Wisconsin) |
| Publication Date-Electronic | 2007 |
| ISSN | 1943-7366 |
| Identifier-Digital | vol79no020031 |
| Description | Northern Choices: Rural Forest County in the 1920’s, part II: This article discusses two new entrepreneurial options for struggling Forest County residents that emerged in the early 1920’s -- illegal trafficking in alcohol, and tourism. At least fourteen large bootleg operators worked in the county during Prohibition, in addition to hundreds of small stills operated by private citizens. Tourism took the form of traditional resorts, auto camps, and vacation homes catering to visitors who wanted to hunt and fish. As in part I, much of the focus of this article is on the Connor Lumber and Land Co. A detailed examination of the Connor family’s business dealings and interactions with local government officials comprise a large portion of the article. (30 Pages) |
| Volume | 079 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Year | 1995-1996 |
| State/Province | Wisconsin; |
| County | Forest County; |
| Decade | 1920-1929; |
| Personal Name | Connor, William, Jr., 1897-1990; |
| Organization Name | Connor Lumber & Land Company; |
| Subject | Prohibition; Alcoholic beverages; Tourism; Politics; Elections; Forest conservation; |
| Full Text | Northern Choices: Rural Forest County in the 1920's By Mark Davis Part II IN the early 1920's, two new entrepre¬ neurial options emerged to help strug¬ gling families in the North Country. The first, based upon Americans' unquench¬ able thirst for alcohol, was the illegal but apparently profitable traffic in moon¬ shine. The other was rooted in a new perception ofthe region's forest and lakes. The boosters of logging, railroads, and agriculture began to see that their most valuable resource lay all around them, and with typical enthusiasm and hyper¬ bole they turned to promoting tourism. Violation of federal and state anti- liquor statutes during Prohibition was widespread throughout Wisconsin, and no less so in the North—a result of eco¬ nomic need, the difficulty of enforcing an unpopular law, and the area's proximity to major urban markets in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and Chicago. In Forest County, the ethnic mix ofthe population added to its willingness to produce illegal alcohol. Vodka, distilled from potatoes, was a traditional part of the Polish cul¬ ture; moonshine, distilled from grain, was just as deeply ingrained in the society of the Kentucky mountains. Indeed, migrant Kentuckians prided themselves on the quality of their product. One southern emigrant boasted that his kin did not "make rot-gut like most of the people in Wisconsin and Michigan."' Controversy over liquor control had been a part of Forest County almost since its founding. Before national Prohibition took effect in 1920, Wisconsin law allowed towns and cities to decide whether or not to license saloons. As in most communities in the state, voting on the question was an annual ritual throughout Forest County. Crandon had an active chapter of the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), and it usually succeeded in keep¬ ing the city dry. Surrounding towns were another matter, and although elections were often close, saloons usually were per¬ mitted. Laona was wet. Though he ab¬ horred the liquor trade, William Connor, Jr., had to tolerate saloons if he was to hire and keep workers.^ Irrespective of laws, moonshine and illegal saloons—"blind pigs"—flourished in Forest County. In 1905, newspaper editor Frank Brady complained of lax enforcement of the liquor laws and ' Forest Republican, April 1, 1926. '' Ibid., April 6, 1906, April 7, 1907, January 3 and April 10, 1908; Forest Echo, April 9, 1909; Northern Citizen, March 30, 1917; Northern Advertiser, April 6, 1917. (Copyright © 1996 by the State Historical Society ofWisconsin All rights of reproduction in any form reserved. 109 |