Wetter Than the Mississippi: Prohibition in St. Louis and Beyond

by Robbi Courtaway

Ever wish you could be a fly on the wall during prohibition days? A guided tour awaits the reader in Wetter than the Mississippi: Prohibition in St. Louis and Beyond, published by Reedy Press. Old newspaper stories and oral history accounts bring to life this fascinating period, when the St. Louis area was awash in saloons and scandals. Author Robbi Courtaway has uncorked vintage reserves of anecdotal stories and lively narratives that focus on the greater St. Louis area, and span a 150-mile radius into Missouri and Illinois: Boonville, Jefferson City and Cape Girardeau, Mo., to Nauvoo, Decatur, Springfield, and deep southern Illinois. A double-length chapter at the center of the book details the 1920s-era gangs who specialized in bootleg booze and bloodshed in St. Louis and southern and central Illinois. Also featured are the brewing and wine industries, law enforcement, elected officials, the Ku Klux Klan, home brewers and amateur bootleggers, nightspots around town, a failed whiskey-siphoning scheme, a high-profile beer protection scandal, historical background of prohibition and more.

408 pages, Paperback

First published October 3, 2008

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extraordinarily dense but interesting read on so many topics on or adjacent to Prohibition in St. Louis, Missouri, and even parts of Illinois. This gave so much context on political decisions, local law enforcement, socio-economic issues, communities and also local gangs. The bibliography for this book is extensive and the research shows up so well in the text. I wasn't sure if this book would have anything for me other than the chapter on the topic I was specifically researching but in the end I took thorough notes on so many parts.