1803-1876
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Indian Trading Post at Fort Smith - The nearby town of Van Buren grew prosperous smuggling whiskey into Indian Territory around the federal blockade at Fort Smith. Image courtesy of Special Collections, UALR |
In early Arkansas whiskey was both a profitable commodity for corn farmers and a potential source of trouble. An 1806 territorial law banned the sale of spirits to American Indians. Lax enforcement permitted Fort Smith merchants to cajole Cherokees to cross the Indian Territory border to purchase liquor.
Elsewhere in the state small distilleries turning out "bald face whiskey" mushroomed, and Arkansas travelers located taverns along the few passable roads. Among those edging their way through swamps and thickets were circuit-riding preachers, who thundered against demon rum at raucous camp meetings. Yet, town folk were more successful in marshalling forces against John Barleycorn.
Prominent professional men and artisans joined temperance associations by taking the pledge to forgo drink. Backsliders were publicly expelled from the early groups, but later associations learned that disciplining in secret dampened community ridicule. The Confederate government of Arkansas enacted the first statewide prohibition measure to ease grain shortages during the Civil War.
It was not long before the governor acknowledged the law was a lost cause. The Republican leaders in the Reconstruction era following the war revived local temperance societies. Newly emancipated African Americans for the first time were able to crusade against "Old King Alcohol." The return of traditional Democratic party dominance in the mid-1870s was aided by the withdrawal of federal protection for African-American political rights.
At the same time, federal revenue collectors launched armed forays against wildcat moonshine operations in isolated regions throughout the state. Violence flared, and moonshiners often found allies among local officials in the war against the federal agents. The disorder surrounding moonshining angered many Arkansans in the late 19th century. However, the temperance forces did not target illegal alcohol: their aim was to make illegal all alcohol.
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