Our County was not immune from the effects of the 18th Amendment of the United States Constitution. Activities involving liquor were forbidden, but here are some instances of local residents attempting to find a covert way to get their cocktails and secular libations.
- An alleged chicken farm in San Mateo turned out to be a front for, as a local newspaper reported, “a first-class moonshine factory.” The site was run by two men who swore the illegal liquor was solely made for their own consumption. They made no statement about the reason for any chickens.
- Five hotels in the area were raided on September 17, 1920. The total haul of illegal booze, according to a member of the press, was “enough liquor to float a battleship.”
- On October 24, 1921, trucks that contained seized liquor were headed to San Francisco when the illegal cargo in their vehicles mysteriously “vanished” en route.
- Just two months later, a ship hauling booze sailing from Canada to Mexico seems to have attempted a landing at Half Moon Bay. As the sailors became alarmed that they might be intercepted, the crew threw 1,000 crates of moonshine into the ocean. The captain weakly defended their actions by saying that they had not intended landing anywhere in the USA but that a storm had necessitated an emergency landing and he chose to throw the liquor overboard instead of the 50 cases of fish onboard.
- And finally, the Half Moon Bay Review reported in April of 1925 the distinct possibility of a “submarine rum runner” off the coast.
Eventually, the 21st Amendment would allow alcohol consumption and the illegal activities of local residents were no longer necessary. I’m sure many people toasted to that.
