Watch above: A new exhibit at the Western Development Museum takes us back to the time of prohibition. Meaghan Craig has a look at then and now to see how far Saskatchewan has come in our acceptance of alcohol.
SASKATOON – A recent survey in support of alcohol being sold in grocery stores has the Saskatchewan government taking a closer look at the idea. Based on a government online survey, more than 65 per cent of respondents say they would be in favour of picking up booze along with a side of beef.
It’s just the latest in a long line of liquor debates in Saskatchewan but we’ve definitely come a long way over the years.
An exhibit at the Western Development Museum (WDM) has uncorked it all and showcases the evolution of alcohol in Canada. The Noble Experiment: Temperance & Prohibition in Canada is currently on loan from the Peterborough Museum & Archives until the end of March.
“It’s an interesting exhibit and I think very apropos for Saskatoon given our humble Temperance begins,” said Jason B. Wall, manager of the WDM Saskatoon branch.
While prohibition in Canada was relatively short-lived according to Wall, the temperance mentality in Saskatoon lived on.
“1960s Saskatoon you just didn’t open up a bar on the east side, you could, but you just didn’t.”
Now, the museum is hoping to create buzz with this new travelling exhibit detailing how even during prohibition it was still fairly easy to get a drink if you knew where to look.
“They would go out in the woods and there would be a still out there.”
In only one year of Canada’s experiment with prohibition, doctors also wrote more than 800,000 prescriptions for alcohol-based remedies.
“Back in the day you could be taking your life in your hands if you went to a well that was contaminated or if you drew it from a stream that was contaminated.”
Leaving them to turn to alcohol, which was readily available and fairly clean, even weak beer was considered healthy for children.
“This is just again a trend in the rich tapestry of history and it’s kinda interesting finding out again where we’ve come from and where we are today and to guess what the future’s going to be.”
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