Did You Know Where Happy Valley was in Carleton Place?

 

 

From an article in Prohibition Canada

To say that not everyone in Canada supported prohibition is an enormous understatement.  One has to understand that when prohibition was enacted in most provinces, it was the circumstances of the referendums (many men were at war, many women were voting, it was seen as being patriotic to support prohibition) that tipped the vote on the side of majority.  Nevertheless, liquor was banned, yet many still wanted liquor.

There were numerous ways to get around the system of provincial prohibition, and just hide from the government.  Some of these places and tactics include: doctors’ prescriptions, speakeasies, or blind pigs, and bootlegging among others.  One way people tried to obtain alcohol legally was through a doctor’s prescription.  If given a doctor’s prescription, that person could go to the local drugstore and fill the prescription by buying alcohol, as at the time it was common to drink alcohol if one was sick.

In Ontario from 1923-1924, doctors had issued a total of 810,000 prescriptions for alcohol, which would seem suspicious, but the outbreak of the Spanish Flu at the time accounted for many actually being ill and others pretending they had influenza just for the liquor.  As public sale of alcohol was outlawed, the drinking went underground to private places not everyone could access.

Speakeasies, or blind pigs, were private saloons set up during prohibition that were accessible only by password and were highly popular because they were bootlegging (the sale of alcohol as a beverage) at a time were alcohol was not as easy to come by.  Despite the fact that the sale of alcohol was banned, these speakeasies still obtained good liquor from brewers and distillers through bribery, and falsified contracts.  Though not all liquor going around at that time was good liquor, some who could not obtain real liquor, produced their own moonshine, which was homemade liquor.

 

So, we have read about an area around Santiago Street called Chiselville in the 1800s a few months ago. But where was Happy Valley? Well chances are if you talk to someone who has lived her a spell, they will tell you that Happy Valley was just off Townline Street in the Lanark and Carleton Street area, where you could get yourself some illegal booze no questions asked.

I am still waiting for some stories to come out of the locals to write about this area–so if you know of any stories about the white lightening of Carleton Place do tell please. I am all ears!

 

Clipped from The Ottawa Journal,  07 Apr 1950, Fri,  Page 12