From Cod Fishing to Bottle Fishing: Saint-Pierre et Miquelon During the Prohibition Era

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "In Small Islands Forgotten: Insular Historical Archaeologies of a Globalizing World", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Nothing speaks more of smuggling, and illicit activities than a small forgotten island. Such is the case for Saint-Pierre et Miquelon where contraband was and still is a tradition. In the 19th century (and most probably before that), it is known that French fisherfolks were trading alcohol with Newfoundlanders against small game, wood, bait and other goods. However, it is the role of the archipelago during the prohibition that is probably the most unique. This paper explores the prohibition era from the perspective of Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, where alcohol commerce and consumption have always been perfectly legal. Due to this advantage and location, the islands became “America’s alcohol warehouse” between 1920 and 1933. Through the analysis of material culture and infrastructure it is possible to capture the involvement of the archipelago in alcohol smuggling and to document the changes provoked by prohibition to Saint-Pierre et Miquelon economy and society.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• In Small Islands Forgotten: Insular Historical Archaeologies of a Globalizing World   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow