Home   Contact Us 
Watch Volstead Fever: Prohibition in Minnesota Online!
Stories from Prohibition don't just come from big cities like Chicago and New York.  They can be found all over, from Minneapolis/St. Paul to our own backyard in southwest Minn.  

In coordination with Ken Burns' Prohibition, Pioneer Public Television is proud to present a local documentary on Prohibition. Volstead Fever: Prohibition in Minnesota will feature the Congressional author of Prohibition, Representative Andrew Volstead of Granite Falls, the impact Prohibition had on the historic Schell's Brewery of New Ulm and Ghent, the first town in Minn. to serve alcohol when Prohibition ended. 

In this documentary about the Prohibition-era of southwest Minn., you'll get a glimpse at early 20th century history, visiting the home of Andrew Volstead and learning dark secrets about Granite Falls' supper club, Bootleggers.  You'll also hear from local brewers who are shaping the landscape of locally produced beers and find out how Schell's was able to survive Prohibition for its 13-year duration.  So pour yourself a tall one and tune into video.pioneer.org for Volstead Fever: Prohibition in Minnesota!
Prohibition A Film by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick
Prohibition begins with the story of America’s growing concern about alcohol abuse in the 19th century. Saloons and taverns flourished with the increasing availability of hard liquor, and with them, a culture of men that neglected and abused their wives and children in favor of liquor. Families were being destroyed, and many feared that the American social fabric would disintegrate.

Discover the true story of America’s “Great Experiment.” Go beyond the oft-told tales of gangsters, rum-runners, flappers and speakeasies to experience the rise, rule and fall of the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s Prohibition. A preview website for Prohibition is available at pbs.org/prohibition

Extra Features:

Send an e-mail postcard to family and friends
Watch a preview of Prohibition
Share your Prohibition story
Prohibition Social Media
Brought to You in Part by Our Generous Sponsors:
To underwrite future productions of Pioneer programming or to learn more about underwriting with Pioneer Public Television, please contact the Pioneer Public Television underwriting team at 1-800-726-3178. 

This project was funded in part by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.

Funding is provided by Bank of America; Public Broadcasting Service; Corporation for Public Broadcasting; National Endowment for the Humanities; The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations; members of the Better Angels Society, including the Montrone Family through the Penates Foundation; and Park Foundation, Inc.