People Used to Illegally Smuggle TONS of Margarine From Illinois to Wisconsin
Smuggling booze back in the day was a matter of life and death for many. That got down right deadly and the stories of prohibition are absolutely crazy. So were there the same kinds of stories about...margarine? Yes, fake butter...margarine, people used to smuggle it across state borders and it was HIGHLY illegal. JSONLINE
It was illegal to sell margarine in the state of Wisconsin, for 72 years. Yep, the dairy farmers weren't having it. The "yellow" spread wasn't a thing, now it COULD be obtained but it would cost you a pretty penny...UNLESS you knew people in Illinois.
In 1953 it was stated that there was a "widespread violation" of this law. Oh man, you Wisconsin folks are crazy...How dare you go margarine and not butter.
In 1954 there was a lawman that was in on the illegal. This is "rich," Appleton, WI Sheriff Lyman B. Clark was busted smuggling the "yellow" into the jail to feed to the prisoners. This was 1954 after all, he received a $50 fine, ha!
In 1963 things got down right crazy...How much of the "yellow" was making it across the Wisconsin border? Are you ready for this? THIRTY TWO TONS
That's right, there was 32 tons of the yellow stuff making it across state lines, that's how much Wisconsin folks wanted margarine instead of butter. Wait for it, that was PER WEEK!
It was in 1967 that the law was overturned and the yellow margarine was allowed into Wisconsin, legally...thank god. The Wisconsin Federal of Women's Clubs had a lot to do with the overturn and margarine becoming legal.
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