Clear Lake’s Chautauqua drew many prominent speakers over the years when it was at its zenith. One was a fireball of a woman, Carrie Nation. She’s shown in this photo getting off the train in our current Mars Hill neighborhood. This fierce little woman wielded her axe to significantly change history.
A tragic, unhappy marriage to an alcoholic fueled her campaign that attempted to outlaw alcohol for everyone. She smashed many a bottle of spirits and countless bar glass in her pursuit to legislate morality. Combined with passionate preachers of the time, these powerful orators spread the message of temperance to the nation. They were successful in creating the climate for passage of the 18th Amendment.
Their success was debatable though. People continued to enjoy their drinks. They were just a bit more difficult to get. Scarcity created a market perfect for the Mafia to expand their presence and thrive. Bootleggers were seemingly everywhere. The mob provided the distribution, products, and establishments people wanted. Because there wasn’t any quality control, many people died from tainted alcohol. Some estimates are upwards of 10,000 poisoning deaths from bad bathtub gin during prohibition.
The moonshine drivers who earned big bucks running products rose to the challenge. They altered cars that could then outrun the law on rough roads in treacherous conditions. These drivers were celebrities of a new breed. They inspired and built the NASCAR of today. The first race run on Feb 15 1948 in Daytona was won by Red Byron, a very successful moonshine runner.
When the 18th Amendment was repealed in 1933, it left behind a deeply rooted mob, speakeasy’s galore and some innovations in cars that propelled the industry forward. Carrie Nation should have been careful what she wished for.
