History mystery

Sally DeVriendt sent us a note regarding the naming of Alcohol Road in Wrenshall. Her story is similar to ones we heard from others. No one seems to know how the road was actually named but it’s certain there were booming bootlegging operations in and around Wrenshall during the prohibition years, which ran from 1919 to 1933.

DeVriendt including a clipping from a local paper about arrests of the relatives she talks about in her comment. A check of reports from the daily paper in Duluth show a whole string of arrests, especially in the early years of the alcohol ban. One case involved the justice of the peace and his wife in Sawyer.

Perhaps when the folly of prohibition was long in the rearview mirror, the naming of Alcohol Road was an homage to those wild and lawless days. Here’s DeVriendt’s story:

I’m not sure if the story I’m about to tell you is how Alcohol Road got its name, but it sure is an interesting one. The information I’m telling you is from my father, Henry DeVriendt Sr., who will be 84 at the beginning of January.

Henry’s grandmother Josephine had a brother named Oscar Matten who lived at the end of East Alcohol Road. Oscar worked in the brickyards and had a still for moonshine. Henry’s grandfather, Peter DeVriendt, also had a moonshine still south of Wrenshall off County Road 4. Their moonshine, along with that of many others who had stills, was transported along this road.

In 1922, Oscar Matten, Peter DeVriendt and Uncle Hector DeVos all got in trouble when Carlton County started to implement the Volstead Act (the formal name of the act that created national prohibition).

Grandfather Peter DeVriendt also owned a dairy farm in Duluth before he moved up to Wrenshall. During prohibition he needed to be creative, so they painted the moonshine bottles white to look like milk. The moonshine was then delivered to customers, including judges.

To my father Henry’s knowledge, his grandfather only got in trouble once during prohibition. Like I stated before, I don’t know if this is how the road got its name, but it sure is a great story to share.

If you have an idea for a History Mystery, or can add to the current topic, send your thoughts to [email protected] or call Pine Knot News writer Mike Creger at 218-216-6292.