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Capone, Caves & Cash: Prohibition in Fillmore County
When the 18th Amendment outlawed alcohol in 1920, Fillmore County didn’t just dry up—it got inventive. In this episode of Roots & Riddles, Lenora and Preston uncork the hidden history of Prohibition in southeastern Minnesota, where moonshine flowed through barn basements, backroads became smuggling routes, and small-town saloons went underground.
But here’s the twist: Did Al Capone, the infamous Chicago mob boss, ever visit Fillmore County? Rumors say yes. Evidence? That’s what we’re chasing.
Whether it was a jug of homemade wine or a truckload of Canadian whiskey, Fillmore County found ways to keep the spirits alive—and the stories even livelier.
Sources 📚
Rushford Star-Republican, January 8, 1920.
The Mabel Record, March 19, 1920.
Rushford Star-Republican, February 24, 1921.
Levang’s Weekly (Minneapolis), June 9, 1921.
Preston Times, November 24, 1921.
Harmony News, January 19, 1922.
Winona Republican-Herald, January 27, 1933.
Kirwin, Robert W. “Prohibition Days.” Fillmore County History 1984
Fillmore County Journal. “Peering at the Past: Moonshiners, Lawmen, and Hide-n-Seek with Illicit Liquor.”
Rochester Post Bulletin, “The Vault: Southeast Minnesota Was Hotspot for Bootleggers During Prohibition Era,” October 11, 2022.
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By Legacy Lane GenealogyWhen the 18th Amendment outlawed alcohol in 1920, Fillmore County didn’t just dry up—it got inventive. In this episode of Roots & Riddles, Lenora and Preston uncork the hidden history of Prohibition in southeastern Minnesota, where moonshine flowed through barn basements, backroads became smuggling routes, and small-town saloons went underground.
But here’s the twist: Did Al Capone, the infamous Chicago mob boss, ever visit Fillmore County? Rumors say yes. Evidence? That’s what we’re chasing.
Whether it was a jug of homemade wine or a truckload of Canadian whiskey, Fillmore County found ways to keep the spirits alive—and the stories even livelier.
Sources 📚
Rushford Star-Republican, January 8, 1920.
The Mabel Record, March 19, 1920.
Rushford Star-Republican, February 24, 1921.
Levang’s Weekly (Minneapolis), June 9, 1921.
Preston Times, November 24, 1921.
Harmony News, January 19, 1922.
Winona Republican-Herald, January 27, 1933.
Kirwin, Robert W. “Prohibition Days.” Fillmore County History 1984
Fillmore County Journal. “Peering at the Past: Moonshiners, Lawmen, and Hide-n-Seek with Illicit Liquor.”
Rochester Post Bulletin, “The Vault: Southeast Minnesota Was Hotspot for Bootleggers During Prohibition Era,” October 11, 2022.