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John R. Smith

John R. Smith (1860–1927) was Colorado’s chief state prohibition officer during the years 1923–25. He successfully rooted out black-market alcohol crime but received harsh public criticism for his often-unconstitutional methods. He brought his friends on…

Marble Jailhouse

The Marble Jailhouse was built on East State Street in 1901, as local officials tried to impose order on the growing town and its increasingly diverse working class. The one-room jailhouse, which contains two steel-framed jail cells, was most active…

Progressive Era in Colorado

The Progressive Era (1900–20) was a national period of social and political reform in which grassroots activists and their political allies sought the power of government and science to address pressing public problems. In Colorado, Progressives brought…

Prohibition

Alcohol prohibition in Colorado (1916–33) was a Progressive Era experiment, based on reform-minded and religious sentiments, to completely ban the sale and transport of alcohol. While the intention of reformers was to reduce violence, drunkenness, and…

The Carlino Brothers

Salvatore “Sam” Carlino (1884–1931) and Pietro “Pete” Carlino (1890–1931) were southern Colorado alcohol bootleggers and Italian American mob bosses during the years of prohibition. Called the “Carlino Brothers,” they controlled most of the black market…

Women During Prohibition

Alcohol prohibition in Colorado (1916–33) disrupted social and gender relations in ways that would shape the state long after the law was repealed. Not only did women help enact the law, but they also helped enforce the law and even broke it, taking…