Michiganders had long fought for and won a state constitutional ban on the sale, consumption, and manufacturing of alcoholic beverages in 1917, two years before Prohibition went national. Prohibition-era Michigan was quite a place. The argument against booze was its impact on crime and families. But the ban didn’t help. Instead, bootlegging operations flourished, especially in Detroit, where rum runners braved an iced-over Detroit River in automobiles to bring Canadian whiskey in from Ontario – an operation that came to be known as the “Windsor-Detroit Funnel.”

This pipeline was responsible for 75% of all the alcohol smuggled into the United States during Prohibition. By the Great Depression, rum-running was Detroit’s second-largest industry, bringing in some $215 million per year. Locally, the region’s speakeasies also flowed with booze, with roughly between 16,000 and 25,000 speakeasies operating in the Detroit area in 1928 alone, according to The Detroit News. Here are some of the images to take you back to this very unique and shadowy time for Michigan.

10) Here, this beer-laden truck has broken through the ice of Lake St Clair while en route to Detroit from Canada.
Walter P. Reuther Library
As if there weren't enough barriers to getting booze during this period.
9) Here, a man destroys alcohol confiscated during raids in Detroit, using a fireman's ax.
Walter P. Reuther Library
Despite images like this, rumors went wild about officials pocketing the confiscated liquor for themselves at times.
8) A police officer shows off a hidden compartment in a car, revealing a cache of smuggled alcohol.
Walter P. Reuther Library
People were getting very crafty when it came to hiding their cocktails.
7) Here, we see alcohol being unloaded from an airplane seized during a Prohibition raid.
Walter P. Reuther Library
Alcohol may have occupied people's minds even more during prohibition than when it was legal. The allure of the forbidden.
6) And check out the exterior view of this blind pig located in the Shady Nook Barbeque and gas station at 10 Mile Road and Dequindre in Hazel Park.
Walter P. Reuther Library
Speakeasies were everywhere during prohibition and they sold a wide variety of quality of liquor, some far better than others.

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5) Here's the interior of a blind pig at 932 E Columbia near Randolph in downtown Detroit.
Walter P. Reuther Library
At that point, you'd pretty much take what you could get at a speakeasy, even if it was bathtub gin.
4) Members of the so-called clean-up squad are relaxing after a raid on the "Oasis" at the College of the City of Detroit.
Walter P. Reuther Library
Interestingly, for a group supposedly opposed to drinking, they seem to be having a pretty good celebration.
3) Here, we see rum runners attempting to drive alcohol from Canada over the frozen Detroit River.
Walter P. Reuther Library
Where there's a will there's a way.
2) Detroiters, in support of repealing Prohibition, demonstrate through the streets of downtown Detroit during the city's "Beer Parade."
Walter P. Reuther Library
Repealing the law made alcohol consumption, which was still happening anyway, a lot safer.
1) And here they are again riding inside a car decorated with crepe paper and the message "We Want Beer - Hamtramck" through Detroit in support of the repeal of Prohibition during the "Beer Parade."
Walter P. Reuther Library
These are people who understand their needs.

Amazing to think about the lengths people would go to get a hold of alcohol, even though there was overwhelming support for Prohibition before it passed.

Tell us, do any of your families have ties to Detroit rum-running? Are the stories points of pride for your families or cause for shame? Let us know in the comments section below. We would love to see you all weigh in.

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More to Explore

History In Detroit

CC | January 23, 2024

Where can I learn more about Detroit's history?

Has this tale of 1920s Detroit got you hooked? The Motor City has so many more fascinating stories to tell. Learn more about the city’s history at these historical landmarks in Detroit.

  • Historic Fort Wayne
  • Spirit of Detroit
  • Ford Piquette Avenue Plant
  • Motown Museum
  • Masonic Temple
  • Guardian Building
  • Campus Martius
  • Comerica Park
  • Michigan's Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument
  • Grand Army of the Republic Building

 

What are the best museums in Detroit?

Another great way to learn about Detroit’s history is at its local museums. Whether the institutions focus on art, history, archaeology, or something even more electric, they’re packed with tons of cool information. Check out the best museums in Detroit while you’re in town.

  • Dossin Great Lakes Museum
  • Belle Isle Nature Center
  • Detroit Institute of Arts
  • University of Michigan Museum of Art
  • Kelsey Museum of Archaeology
  • Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum

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