The North's Appalachia

            Although the Prohibition era is often coupled with the Appalachian Mountains, the period held its grasp on the mountains to the North as well and the Adirondacks played a large role in the illegal industry. Infamous gangsters such as Pietro Tanzini, Eddie and Jack ‘Legs’ Diamond, and Dutch Schultz flocked into the region to get a piece of the action (Edwards). A lucrative business, bootlegging flourished between the years of 1920 and 1933 as the laws of Prohibition prevented the legal sale of alcohol within the US borders (Edwards). 

 Mugshot of Jack 'Legs' Diamond

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:JackDiamond.jpg

Due to its illegality, the industry required a secluded area with plenty of places to hide. Of course, the Adirondacks couldn’t fit this description better and the mountains offered bandits a nearly carefree environment in which to engage in this activity. Additionally, the Adirondacks’ proximity to the Canadian border allowed for easy access and the smuggling of Canadian alcohol into the states. North of the US border, the sale of alcohol was still legal and Canada served as the perfect source for the Adirondack smugglers. However, smuggled legal alcohol did not account for the entirety of the contraband. Adirondack farmers grew large quantities of apples, corn, and hops to fuel hidden stills throughout the mountains (Kourofsky 31). These same farmers earned extra coin by offering their barns and garages as both storage spaces as well as hideouts (Kourofsky 31). This type of team-effort enhanced the tightly knit communities of the mountains and put residents in direct contact with the business (Riley).

This contact often ensured that the local towns bore witness to numerous car chases or the occasional shootout. Many firsthand accounts exist of epic getaways through the mountainous region from both authorities as well as “hold up parties” that would ambush smugglers in an attempt to steal their loot (Edwards). Some of the people involved even became friends with the townspeople and Saratogan historian Minnie Clark Booster said of gangster Louis ‘Doc’ Ferrone: “I knew him as a friend. His sister was my landlady and I liked him,” (Williams). Ironically, the region’s quiet nature and secluded location drew this excitement into these locals’ lives.

Works Cited

Edwards, Ryan. "Bootlegging in the Adirondacks." North Country Living Magazine. 2015.Web. <http://nclmagazine.com/features/bootlegging-in-the-adirondacks/#sthash.sZsRkeUz.dpbs>.

Kourofsky, Niki. Adirondack Outlaws: Bad Boys and Lawless Ladies. Helena, MT: Faircountry Press, 2015. Print.

Riley, Howard. "Prohibition and Saranac Lake." Adirondack Daily Enterprise. 2015.Web. <http://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/page/content.detail/id/527144/Prohibition-and-Saranac-Lake.html?nav=5043>.

Williams, Stephen. "Off the Northway: Saratoga's Bootlegging History." The Daily Gazette. 2012.Web. <http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2012/aug/25/0825_northway/?print>.