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McMenamins presents History Pub The Smuggler’s Blues: The Illegal, Immoral, and Illicit on the Salish Sea
Presented by Jesse Clark McAbee
Spanish Ballroom
McMenamins Elks Temple
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
7pm/doors 6pm
All ages welcome
The illegal smuggling activities of the early 20th century on Washington's shared border with British Columbia included such highly tariffed items as wool, cigarettes, and animal hides. This illegal trade went on for decades, but none was more widespread than rum running during the Prohibition years of 1920 to 1933. Tacoma and Seattle each had their charismatic rum running kingpins. Their illicit networks stretched from the limits of the Salish Sea down to the rugged West Coast and all the way to Mexico. Join us for tales of liquor pirates, international intrigue, mystery, and danger, with twists of historical irony and grim humor from historian Jesse Clark McAbee.
Jesse Clark McAbee is a museum professor and historian with a bachelor's degree in history from Washington State University and a certificate in museum studies from the University of Washington.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Spanish Ballroom, 565 Broadway, Tacoma, WA 98402-3907, United States
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