Brewing and Prohibition
Long before Wisconsin became America's Dairyland, Wisconsin was a beer state. Brewing began in Wisconsin in the 1830s, and by the 1890s, nearly every community had at least one operating brewery. Breweries were as much a part of Wisconsin communities as churches and schools. They supplied steady employment to workers, bought grain from local farmers who in turn often fed brewery by-products to their livestock, and they frequently sponsored community festivals, youth groups, and sports teams. Brewing was intimately tied to Wisconsin's people, particularly its German immigrants, who brought their knowledge and skills with them to North America. Despite beer's... more...
Original Documents and Other Primary Sources
![Link to article: Reformers organize to curb alcohol abuse in 1840.](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | Reformers organize to curb alcohol abuse in 1840. |
![Link to article: A look at the life and legacy of Frances Willard](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | A look at the life and legacy of Frances Willard |
![Link to article: A sketch of the beer barons of Milwaukee, 1892](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | A sketch of the beer barons of Milwaukee, 1892 |
![Link to article: The "High Life" of Milwaukee's Frederick Miller](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | The "High Life" of Milwaukee's Frederick Miller |
![Link to article: The original home of Schlitz beer in Milwaukee](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | The original home of Schlitz beer in Milwaukee |
![Link to article: The famed Schlitz Palm Garden closes its doors in 1921](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | The famed Schlitz Palm Garden closes its doors in 1921 |
![Link to article: The Anti-Saloon League launches a newspaper, 1905](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | The Anti-Saloon League launches a newspaper, 1905 |
![Link to article: A temperance society forms in 1835](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | A temperance society forms in 1835 |
![Link to article: Wisconsin "drys" push for ratification of national prohibition in 1918](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | Wisconsin "drys" push for ratification of national prohibition in 1918 |
![Link to article: Two Milwaukee residents predict the failure of prohibition](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | Two Milwaukee residents predict the failure of prohibition |
![Link to article: Baraboo women launch a raid on town saloons](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | Baraboo women launch a raid on town saloons |
![Link to article: Richard Owens opens Milwaukee's first brewery in 1840](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | Richard Owens opens Milwaukee's first brewery in 1840 |
![Link to article: A man recalls his years on a hop farm in Sauk County](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | A man recalls his years on a hop farm in Sauk County |
![Link to article: Overproduction leads to a devastating crash for hops farmers in the 1860s](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | Overproduction leads to a devastating crash for hops farmers in the 1860s |
![Link to article: Frederick Pabst brings beer gardens to New York](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | Frederick Pabst brings beer gardens to New York |
![Link to article: Prohibition robs Milwaukee of its happiness](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | Prohibition robs Milwaukee of its happiness |
![Link to article: Campaign literature from the Wisconsin Prohibition Party](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | Campaign literature from the Wisconsin Prohibition Party |
![Link to article: A 1930 debate on prohibition enforcement](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | A 1930 debate on prohibition enforcement |
![Link to book: A souvenir from the Schlitz Palm Garden, 1896](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | A souvenir from the Schlitz Palm Garden, 1896 |
![Link to book: A souvenir guide to the Schlitz Brewing Company](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | A souvenir guide to the Schlitz Brewing Company |
![Link to book: The federal government investigates prohibition enforcement in Wisconsin, 1929](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | The federal government investigates prohibition enforcement in Wisconsin, 1929 |
![Link to book: National conditions under Prohibition in 1928](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | National conditions under Prohibition in 1928 |
![Link to book: A souvenir booklet from the Pabst Brewing Company, 1907](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | A souvenir booklet from the Pabst Brewing Company, 1907 |
![Link to book: A promotional song from Fred Miller Brewing Company](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | A promotional song from Fred Miller Brewing Company |
![Link to book: The 1885 Constitution of the Anti-Prohibition Association](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | The 1885 Constitution of the Anti-Prohibition Association |
![Link to book: Anti-Prohibitionists argue for the economic importance of the brewing industry, 1885](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | Anti-Prohibitionists argue for the economic importance of the brewing industry, 1885 |
![Link to images: A leaflet promotes the benefits of a world without alcohol, 1919](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/images.gif) | A leaflet promotes the benefits of a world without alcohol, 1919 |
![Link to images: Images of brewing and breweries, 1860-1984](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/images.gif) | Images of brewing and breweries, 1860-1984 |
![Link to images: The end of prohibition sparks celebration in 1933](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/images.gif) | The end of prohibition sparks celebration in 1933 |
![Link to images: Images of barrels and barrel-making](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/images.gif) | Images of barrels and barrel-making |
![Link to manuscript: Detectives investigate drinking in Delavan and Oconto Falls, 1917-1918](https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/images/manuscript.gif) | Detectives investigate drinking in Delavan and Oconto Falls, 1917-1918 |