Minnesota 13 was the name given to the corn liquor

moonshine Moonshine is high-proof liquor that is usually produced illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of creating the alcohol during the nighttime, thereby avoiding detection. In the first decades of the 21st century, commercial dist ...

distilled on many central Minnesota Stearns County farms. It became well known across America and Canada as "Minnesota 13", a premium quality twice

distilled Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heating ...

and properly aged whiskey, (said by many to taste remarkably like "Canadian Club").

Stearns County Stearns County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,292. Its county seat and largest city is St. Cloud. The county was founded in 1855. It was originally named for Isaac Ingalls Stevens, the ...

was populated predominantly by German and Polish Catholics at that time.

Holdingford Holdingford is a city in Stearns County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 708 at the 2010 census. It claims to be "The Gateway to Lake Wobegon", the fictional central Minnesota town created by author Garrison Keillor. Holdingford ...

was considered the unofficial moonshine capital of Minnesota. One story for the origin of the name says it came from a producer who hand-lettered his labels because he was proud of his product. Minnesota 13 was the name of an open pollinated corn variety developed by the University of Minnesota and used in Stearns County because of its shorter growing season. Eventually, Federal agents managed to sharply curtail the large-scale manufacturing of moonshine in Stearns County. They succeeded by burning barns and sheds and through various acts of intimidation. They exploited divisions within the community by using informers and they undermined the tip system by sharpening their raiding strategies. Increased surveillance and a bigger stick to punish in the form of Jones Law finally blunted community resistance. However, while they managed to alter behavior, they failed to change beliefs. Stearns County had its revenge when it voted 4 to 1 for repeal of the hated 18th amendment to the US Constitution. A number of books on local history refer to Minnesota 13 and its importance of helping people through tough times. The only book on the subject is ''Minnesota 13: Stearns County's Wet Wild Prohibition Days'' by

Elaine Davis Elaine Lamour Davis (born 21 September 1976) is a Jamaican international netball player. Fresh out of high school, she got her baptism in international sports when she was selected as a member of the national senior team, the Sunshine Girls, for t ...

published in 2007.

References

Additional References

* Elaine Davis ''Minnesota 13'' Stearns County's 'Wet' Wild Prohibition Days, Sweet Grass Publishing (2007) {{ISBN, 9780979801709 * Robert J Voigt "Opoliana", Sentinel Printing co. 1987 * Robert J Voigt "The People of St. Wendel" (1867–1992), Park Press 1992 * Robert J. Voigt "The Arban Way " A History of the Parish at Arban, Minnesota 1873-1973 * Vincent Arthur Yzermans ''The Ford in the River'', Park Press. 397 pages (1985) * M Hatten "Stearns County has moonshine in its history" St. Cloud Times 2007-9 10 * "Look in grab bag of local history" St. Cloud Times Retrieved on 2007-07-21 * Marilyn Salzl Brinkman "local moonshine popular nationwide" St. Cloud Times 2008-05-10

External links

City of Holdingford

Minnesota 13’ Corn
- Background and Importance of ‘Minnesota 13’ Corn

Minnesota 13 - web site

Holdingford Area Historical Society
German-American culture in Minnesota Minnesota culture Moonshine Organized crime in Minnesota Polish-American culture in Minnesota Whiskies of the United States