The book Booze, Badboys & Bootleggers: North Country Tales Grandpa Never Told You (Self-Published, 2022) by James E. Reagen chronicles the early days of Prohibition in communities across St. Lawrence County.
During Prohibition, some Northern New York families made a living as smugglers, bootleggers, and booze runners. During the first year of Prohibition alone, a Watertown police officer leaped from a moving taxi onto a fleeing car to arrest Massena bootleggers; Federal agents raided Ogdensburg by land and sea to crack down on rum-running; two Potsdam ministers helped federal agents conduct righteous speakeasy raids; a high-speed chase down the streets of Massena led to the arrest of Potsdam bootleggers; an Ogdensburg mayoral candidate defended the city’s leading speakeasy owner; 12,000 quarts of liquor were seized on a ship docked at Cardinal, Ontario by Prescott Customs agents after the booze showed up in Ogdensburg; an ALCOA crane operator’s suicide in Massena was blamed on bootlegging, smuggling, and gambling; Governor Fred Scozzafava crashed into the New York Central train in DeKalb while hauling a load of smuggled booze; burglars robbed the U.S. Customs House for booze at Rouses Point; Cranberry Lake, Norfolk, Pyrites, and others were raided; and Federal G-Men led raids across Northern New York.
The St. Lawrence County Historical Association will host James Reagen on Thursday, July 13th at noon for a talk about his book as part of their Brown Bag Lunch Series. There is a $5 suggested donation. The Association is located at 3 East Main Street in Canton, NY.
James Reagen was a long-time managing editor of the Ogdensburg Journal and Sunday Advance News. He is the author of two other regional histories, Warriors of La Présentation, a History of the French and Indian War in Northern New York and Fort Oswegatchie, A History of the Revolutionary War in Northern New York. He also published a sword and sorcery novel Wizardry: The League of the Crimson Crescent. He and his wife Donna are the proprietors of the Sherman Inn in Ogdensburg.
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Thank you to the staff of the New York Alamanack for featuring my book “Booze, Badboys and Bootleggers (North Country Tales Grandpa Never Told You) about the first year of Prohibition. It’s great to see Northern New York’s colorful history celebrated. Thank you!
I hope people realize what a great service you provide by letting people know about books on New York State’s fascinating history.