Gentlemen Bootleggers

April 21, 2014
Journalist Baure brings to life the Prohibition era in this history of a small Iowa community’s response to the 18th Amendment. People at all levels of society in Templeton, Iowa worked to undermine the ban on the sale of alcohol: Monsignor F.H. Huesmann, for example, passed out samples of rye produced locally, and even allowed a still to operate in the basement of his church. Otis P. Morganthaler, a doctor and the town’s mayor, ordered that the town’s water supply be turned on at night to enable citizens to refill their mash tanks, and even posted bail for those who had been arrested. The narrative is framed by the story of Joseph Irlbeck, who rose from poverty to become the town’s leading maker and seller of illegal alcoholic beverages; his iconic Templeton Rye achieved national success. Bauer turns phrases easily, as in this description of local sheriff Benjamin Wilson, who oversaw a county divided about Prohibition by “compromising law and order to the passions of inflamed patriotism and jingoistic fervor.” Readers will be entertained. B&w photos. Agent: Adriann Ranta, Wolf Literary Services.

May 15, 2014

Journalist Bauer's work on the complexities of Prohibition-era small-town Iowa is a fascinating, well-researched glimpse into a much-storied period in U.S. history. While most books about the time when alcohol was illegal focus on big-name mobsters, Bauer's research highlights the small names, giving readers a look at what Middle America thought about Prohibition. What a complicated scene it was. The county-by-county difference in police attitudes about liquor-law enforcement allowed Carroll County and particularly Templeton, a town that gave its name to an excellent rye, to become known as top-notch whiskey producers. Bauer fleshes out his study with stories of farmers hiding stills in fields and hog houses, stashing jugs of liquor in snowbanks, and the relative wealth that these people gained from producing a product that they could sell at a good price. The author's point that Iowans, especially those in Carroll County, prospered during the Depression because of their illegal activity is well proven and adds yet one more wrinkle to the story of this age--that of the struggles of raw-ingredient producers to make ends meet when their livelihood was strangled by moralists. VERDICT For readers interested in Prohibition, both academic and general, and those wishing to know more about Iowa history.--Amelia Osterud, Carroll Univ. Lib., Waukesha, WI

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.