Prohibition Era Message in a Bottle Discovered In Wreckage Of Statue Toppled by Protesters

(Photo: Province of Manitoba)

Workers discovered a 101-year-old message in a bottle, dating back to the Prohibition era in the U.S., when removing the base of a former statue. The statue was located in front of the Manitoba legislature in Canada. 

Today, Dec. 5, is National Repeal Day and marks the date President Franklin D. Roosevelt repealed the prohibition of alcohol in 1933. Prohibition, sometimes called the failed experiment, lasted for 13 years and was becoming increasingly unpopular nationwide.  

The base once held a statue of Queen Victoria. It was knocked down by protesters last year. The head was removed and thrown into the Assiniboine River. Workers were removing the large base piece by piece in order to make room for a replacement. 

When a section of the base was removed, workers unearthed a broken bottle and a note that had been placed inside it. The note was dated July 30, 1921, which is about a year into the US Prohibition.

Last Wednesday, the minister responsible for government services, Reg Helwer attempted to read the centuries-old message. 

“On account of the Prohibition, we are unable to adhere to the custom of depositing a bottle of brandy under the stone, for which we are extremely sorry, I believe is what it says,” remarked Helwer according to CTV News.

The note was signed by a stonecutter, other workers and a bureaucrat. 

Currently, the government is determining the best way to preserve the document and what should be done with the note. 

“Apparently there are things of that nature around the legislature. As we move stones, we do discover things like this,” Helwer said. “To me, it’s a very neat story, especially with the age of the building, just recently celebrating a hundred years not long ago.”

Find out more about this period of time and get a taste of the past with Prohibition Era cocktails here. 

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