Unassuming Canadian Town Was Secret Center Of Prohibition-Era Intrigue

Vast underground tunnel system led to brothels, saloons.

1 minute read

November 21, 2004, 9:00 AM PST

Yes, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, "the friendly city," whose 33,500 inhabitants "attend church regularly and obsess about the performance of" their local hockey team, was actually "a prominent trafficking hub for liquor and drugs" during the Prohibition era in the United States. In 1985, "a truck fell through a downtown street, revealing a tunnel that led into a vast underground network. After some investigation, anthropologists and local historians concluded the tunnels connected several hotels that were long rumored to have hosted brothels and saloons during Prohibition...piece by piece an unsavory past emerged that the townspeople had a hard time squaring with their wholesome self-image."

Thanks to David Gest

Read the full story: Canadian town discovers its inner Al Capone

Tuesday, November 16, 2004 in International Herald Tribune

History / Preservation United States

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