Michigan Goes Dry

The Beginning of Prohibition

On April 30, 1918, the last legal drinks were poured in Michigan, marking the start of state-wide prohibition on May 1, 1918. A full two years before national prohibition took effect. This wasn’t an overnight shift, though. By 1911, most of Michigan was already dry due to county-level bans, and in 1916, voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment outlawing alcohol entirely. The result? A new era of bootlegging, speakeasies, and a thriving underground liquor trade.

While prohibitionists believed banning alcohol would lead to a more moral and orderly society, the reality was much different. Saloons and bars shuttered, but that didn’t stop Michiganders from finding creative ways to keep the drinks flowing. Speakeasies and “blind pigs” popped up across the state, and Detroit quickly became a hub for smuggling alcohol from Canada. Some say the city’s two biggest industries in the 1920s were making cars and running booze.

Enforcement Difficult

With enforcement proving to be an expensive and dangerous endeavor—sparking organized crime, violence, and political corruption—attitudes toward prohibition began to shift. The Great Depression further highlighted the financial benefits of a legal liquor industry. Tax revenue from alcohol could help struggling governments, and legal distilleries and breweries could create jobs.

Michigan Had Enough

By 1932, Michigan had had enough being a dry state. Voters overwhelmingly supported repealing the state prohibition law. Not long after, Michigan became the first state to ratify the 21st Amendment, helping bring an end to national prohibition on December 5, 1933.

Michigan’s early adoption of prohibition and its role in its eventual repeal highlight the state’s complicated relationship with alcohol. From smuggling routes across the Detroit River to the first legal beer poured after repeal, Michigan’s prohibition history is one of defiance, innovation, and, ultimately, a return to common sense. Cheers to that!

Marisa Fancy along with her husband and four children dreamt of moving “Up North”. They had vacationed for years in northern Michigan and in 1995 they finally made the move.

The family was always out exploring, but with 4 kids there was some limitations on what they could do. Marisa discovered the amazing network of trails in Northern Michigan after Steve died and she would walk for miles. The trails provided her with peace, comfort and solitude at a difficult time in her life. Later, after meeting Guy who would become her second husband, she learned to golf and found another passion she could enjoy in beautiful Northern Michigan.

Marisa has been the family historian, writer, and poet for as long as she can remember. She has always loved to write and has now found a creative outlet for it other than family. You can read her articles in Adventures in Northern Michigan, Northern Michigan History and Golf Up North.