Barn near Moose Jaw Saskatchewan Canada |
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Moose Jaw is a city in south-central Saskatchewan, Canada on the Moose Jaw River. It is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway. 71 km (45 miles) west of Regina. In the early 1900s, most of the larger buildings in Moose Jaw were heated by steam. The engineers who maintained the coal-fired boilers in the basements arranged for the creation of an elaborate network of tunnels linking them so that they could move themselves and their equipment from building to building without facing the harsh winter weather. At about the same time, numerous Chinese immigrants who arrived in Moose Jaw to work for what were, by Canadian standards, very low wages, adopted the tunnel system as living quarters and workplaces which were both inexpensive and sheltered from a sometimes hostile populace. During Prohibition Moose Jaw became a center for distribution of bootleg liquor, both domestically and to the United States via the Soo Line Railroad to Chicago, earning the town the nickname “Little Chicago”. Illegal enterprises such as speakeasies, casinos, and brothels sprang up within the concealment and shelter of the tunnels. Moose Jaw folklore states that Al Capone himself was resident for some time, to oversee operations and/or to hide out from law enforcement. Over time, the tunnels fell into disuse and many were filled in or blocked off by new construction. However, an elaborate tourist attraction featuring live actors and animatronics has been created within what remains of the system, featuring tours illustrating the stories of the Chinese immigrants and bootlegging, and attracting over 100,000 visitors per year. Although Moose Jaw is known as the 'Friendly City', it is not well known that the city was the centre of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) in Saskatchewan. The first KKK rally in Moose Jaw was held on June 7, 1927, with over four hundred members attending. The second (and last) Klan rally was held on 26 October, 1927. It was held only ten days after the KKK organizer Hugh Emmons's arrest. Over one thousand people attended. It was the last rally, but in 1929 the KKK sponsored a Labour Day picnic in River Park. There were racist speeches and a cross burning, but the focus of the day was on sporting events. |
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