Wilmont Kreis

Today I thought I would take a break from the Allards to blog something personal for a change. With all the hate and nastiness going on in the country, the world and our current politics, I decided to blog something pleasant. I was thrilled this week to see the Nobel Prize for Literature go to one of my favorite authors and artists, Bob Dylan. In the early 60's I entered the University of Michigan. My parents dropped me off at the dorm where I knew no one, so I wandered across the hall where a young man from Boston (big Boston accent) was playing a guitar. I asked him what he was playing and he replied, "Dylan". He proceeded to tell me of the wonders of this young artist who became and remains my favorite to this day. Maybe all can still be right with the world. I'll return to THE ALLARDS next week. Read More 

Book Eight: The great depression: In the early days of prohibition, industry and finance did well, much of it fueled by the advent of the auto industry as well as the booming stock market. In Detroit, the automobile industry flourished as Americans flush with cash flocked to purchase this new and wonderful invention. With this booming market came prosperity for Detroit. Unfortunately the stock market crashed abruptly in 1929 and over the next few years, those wonderful jobs disappeared and the Detroit auto workers, who had once been flush with cash and over spending, were suddenly poor. Read More 

Book Eight: Repeal: As is generally the case with unpopular laws, prohibition was eventually overturned, and in 1933, “happy days were here again,” or at least it seemed. Due to poor records, it is difficult to quantify the effects of prohibition. How consumption and addiction were affected remains a debate today. Certainly crime and poisoning from bad alcohol diminished. Its effect is further blurred by the social phenomenon that began before prohibition left, and I will deal with this next. However, I will be gone doing research on new works next week so we will have to wait a week for: THE GREAT DEPRESSION. Read More 

Book Eight: The Getaway-Part Three: Escaping to a different jurisdiction. Once bootleggers had loaded their stash in their car or truck, they would head to their delivery point. Different jurisdictions had different standards for whom to stop, pursue, or ignore. Once the smugglers were being chased, they could sometimes cross a municipal line into a more friendly community. This would not necessarily stop the Feds from pursuing, but generally cause the municipal agencies to turn back. Some of the more famous chase scenes were through Detroit escaping to the suburbs. As I have previously said, the municipalities often had different standards for different smugglers, but they almost all tried to stop the Purple Gang, sometimes with grave consequences. One such scene in Book Eight is the murder of Officer Claude Lanstra of the Grosse Pointe Police. It is based on the actual account, flavored by family legend. (Claude was my Grandfather’s cousin).(continued next week) Read More 

Book Eight: The Getaway-Part Two: Authorities were generally on the alert for the late night transport of bootleg liquor. Once a suspected smuggler was sighted it generally resulted in a chase. How serious the chase was depended on the nature of the smuggler as well as the nature of the legal entity. If the smuggler was a local citizen who was once a legitimate bar owner, and the authorities were local, the chase would be relatively sedate. If apprehended, it would usually end in confiscation of the goods or some of the goods (wink-wink). If the smuggler was rougher element such as the Purple Gang and the authorities were federal, it would result in a high speed chase, sometimes with unfortunate consequences.(continued next week) Read More 

Book Eight: The Getaway. Once contraband liquor was on land, it had to be delivered, hopefully quickly and discretely. This, however, depended on the delivery staff. Small loads could often be discretely put in a trunk and taken to the destination, usually at night, and often to a former restaurant which had served liquor legally in the old days, but was now posing as dry. The liquid treasure would be kept under wraps and served to locals when the coast was clear which was usual. The larger loads were sometimes trucked indiscreetly and drew the attention of the authorities. More creative moves usually solved this problem.(continued next week) Read More 

Book Eight: The drop-off. When bootleg liquor reached the American side, it had to be transferred to land without apprehension. A common method was scheme modified from the days of the old Underground Railroad: a tunnel from the lake or river to the basement of the house. Better suited for the small-time smuggler, sometimes only supplying their own previously legal tavern or restaurant. The tunnel originated near the water’s edge, preferably in an inconspicuous location, often a lakefront home. Once the load was safely in the tunnel the boat could disappear. Generally the entrance was through a boat house or sometimes a trap door in the yard. Many of these exist even today, either in ruins or refurbished as part of the basement party room, much like that of Jim Trombley’s present day home in THE CHIEF.(continued next week) Read More 

Book Eight: Crossing the River. Once the Canadian Hooch reached the river, the river had to be crossed, and in a manner avoiding the authorities. Obviously, after dark worked best and the later the better. Boats were by far the most popular modes of libation transportation. It was important to vary the point of departure and arrival. Sometimes a fast boat was the most effective means and sometimes trickery such as posing as a fishing boat. These shenanigans were used by both the law and the crooks as seen in the scene from Chapter 20 in Book Eight(continued next week) Read More 

Book Eight: The Art of Bootlegging
Detroit was the bootleggers’ dream. Although it was not available for consumption in Canada, liquor was readily available for export, and Windsor was a prime distiller location. Libations of all kinds could be purchased at the dock so long as the buyer agreed not to take it to the U.S.A.
A man could buy any quantity of any kind and load it in his small boat signing a document that he was taking it to, say, Cuba. The waterway was large and difficult to patrol, particularly at night, especially when the gangsters had the fastest boats.(continued next week) Read More 

Book Eight: Prohibition. No story of Detroit in the first half of the 20th century would be complete without dealing with this phenomenon. Politically, Michigan was among the first, as it instituted the ban on alcohol ahead of the rest of the nation. For a while, Detroiters had only to drive to Ohio to buy booze. The prohibitionists had a much more difficult time in Detroit as the waterway that aided Cadillac, the voyageurs and the exploration of the interior, greatly aided the bootlegger. (continued next week) Read More