num_pages: 98
description: In 1908 a binding referendum in Orillia outlawed the sale of all alcohol. It was the culmination of a 50-year campaign to “civilize” the town and reduce the violence, crime and domestic hardship that followed drunkenness. For the next 40 years you had to trek out over the Narrows bridge to the Atherley tavern to get a shot of whiskey or a glass of beer. However, a loophole in the law did allow you to purchase a bottle of whiskey directly from a distiller, though it had to be shipped to your house, one bottle at a time, at some expense – so the wealthy industrialists didn’t have to forego their evening brandy, thank goodness (about 20 bottles a day arrived by train in 1915). Only the drunken blue collar workers suffered.Alcohol remained illegal in Orillia from 1908 all the way to 1950.It seems, like the other “vices” of marijuana, prostitution and gambling, regulation is better than prohibition and the lawlessness it fosters. By the 1970s, Orillia had become a mature enough community to be able to handle the scourge of alcohol responsibly. But don’t get into a debate – there are still some very strong feelings among the few people still around town today who supported the Dry side!
language: English
title: Booze! Orillia's Struggle with Drunkenness
publisher: Self published