Al Capone and the Tunnels of Winnipeg and Moose Jaw

A Journey into Canada

Say the name Al Capone and one thinks a gangster in Chicago. But the legend of Capone traveled beyond the Windy City. In fact, it is to be found across the border as well.

It is some years removed, but we continue to be captivated by stories about Al Capone’s connection to Canada - especially to places in the Prairie provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Winnipeg is known for its friendly people, the outdoor activities  and  the tradition of the Canadian Air Force. Getting less attention is its connections with tunnels.

There are many stories and myths concerning tunnels that did and did not exist. One of the most inetersting to me involves The Exchange Tunnels in Winnipeg.

According to one blog posting:

“Their primary use was for transporting goods in the winter and may have also been used to transport booze during prohibition. These have also been boarded up with the only entry point being the still used storage area that opens to the street near Main and Bannatyne. These tunnels were used by Al Capone during his time in Winnipeg”.

For more on this  tunnel and others: https://thegirlwithoutfear.blogspot.com/2015/08/keep-winnipeg-weird-2-tunnel-of-beer.html

Similarly, Moose Jaw, some 45 miles from the city of Regina, has also become known for its connection to Al Capone. Legend has it that he moved his alcohol production and resale business to Saskatchewan during American Prohibition.

Back in 2015, CBC documentary, Finding Al, explored this connection between the Chicago gangster and these locations in central Canada. In it filmmaker Kelly-Anne Riess examined Al Capone's connection to the Canadian Prairies during the 1920s, the height of prohibition in the United States. She has tracked him from Moose Jaw to Winnipeg. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/absolutelycanadian/finding-al-1.3663723

At the time, there was a train line providing a direct connection to the U.S. (It was 18 to Chicago by car) .

These days there is a whole industry in Moose Jaw devoted to all thins local as related to Capone, even those aspects that could not be proven but have nonetheless become part of local lore.

The main tourist attraction in Moose Jaw are tunnels.

According to one blog, “The tunnels in Moose Jaw were constructed at the same time as the buildings and were initially used by heating engineers. And then they were picked up by two completely different populations: Chinese immigrants and the underworld”.

For many years local officials refused to recognize the rumors of the exsitence of the tunnels, an open secret among people calling Moose Jaw home. But in 1985 when a section of the main street collapsed on a cellar not to be found on any maps, the unspoken reality could be ignored no more.

So once the secret was out the landscape of the city started to change. Today Al Capone is seemingly everywhere - signs, walls and billboards.

And, the story about prohibition and those tunnels goes beyond Capone.

For example, Samuel Bronfman, later of Seagrams, was a hotel owner in Moose Jaw. He was not a gangster like Capone, but the legend has it that the family was able to weather the Depression years becuase of connections to those who brought booze south into the States during the Prohibition there. More at: https://www.canadashistory.ca/explore/politics-law/moose-jaw-s-urban-legend

As mentioned above, there is a blurring of what is fact and what is legend. The colorful nature of the personalities and the staying power of the stories, whether fact or fiction, continue to draw attention and, these days, tourists.

Image Credit: Wikipedia