Federal Agents Raid Mishicot Distillery in 1929
Mishicott Brewery, 1910; Postcard courtesy Mishicot Historical Museum
On October 9, 1929 the largest and most modernly equipped alcohol manufacturing plant ever found in operation in Wisconsin during Prohibition was raided in the abandoned Scheuer Brewery at Mishicot by federal agents from Milwaukee and Chicago. The big still was found in operation but a search failed to locate anyone in charge. The plant with a capacity of approximately 1,000 gallons of alcohol per day (worth about $5 per gallon on the wholesale market) was believed to be a major contributor to the supplies of Chicago bootleggers. No other manufacturing was done, moonshine whiskey or beer not being made at the place.
Two large steam cookers, each of several hundred gallons capacity, were in operation, the cooked mash then being sent through copper pipes, approximately 12 inches in diameter, to condensers and to containers holding the finish product. Two hundred thirty single gallon tin containers, ready for shipment, were found on the first floor and 700 gallons of alcohol were found in the containers. Pictures of the tin containers and huge vats used to make alcohol appeared in the Manitowoc Herald-News on October 12.
Soon after arriving, the agents became aware that the task of destroying the plant and equipment, estimated to be worth $100,000 or more, was beyond them and called for reinforcements, another carload of operatives arriving during the night. The following day the distillery was dismantled, all of the metal being purchased by a Two Rivers dealer in scrap metal.
Twenty vats, each of them holding more than 2,000 gallons of mash, were almost filled when the agents staged their raid. The mash and alcohol were dumped in the East Twin River at Mishicot, turning the river into a flowing stream of contraband liquor. Thousands of empty sacks of pure cane sugar used in the distillation process to make the best type of alcohol for the bootleg market were found on the premises. Agents believe they were purchased at some shipping point other than Manitowoc or Two Rivers and then brought to the plant in trucks.
According to reports at the time, the property at Mishicot had been purchased on a land contract about a month before but no records of the land transfer or deal were on file at the county courthouse. Federal agents surmised the plant had been recently established and equipment installed within a few weeks. It was rumored the agents were extending their search in the vicinity, believing that other large distillery plants were in operation. The feds had been advised the Lake Shore district was “swimming in bootleg alky, booze and beer.”
Mishicot citizens were excited by the visit of the prohibition agents and discovery that the big stills were in operation in their midst and unbeknown to them.
Later that month, the Manitowoc Herald-News reported that the raid, which caused so much excitement at Mishicot the previous week, was now over and the village was again back to normal. The paper quipped, “All that remains now is the faint odor of the things that were, but are no more. Quite a number of folks were wishing they were fish on the fatal day.”
