In 1967, Grand Island fought back from the June floods. The magazine based its findings on a study by the America Social Hygiene Association that described the community as a place where prostitution, drinking and gambling were widespread.
Grand Island is a German town with a beer-drinking heritage.
As in other communities, beer was abused as well as used, but its consumption always has been socially acceptable in Grand Island. From its very beginning, Grand Island was a railroad town. Brothels were a part of life near the railroad tracks. Venus Weber, an infamous Grand Island madam of the early 20th century, reportedly had once wrestled a bear. During World War II, when Grand Island was the site for military training, business in the red-light district increased.