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  • 5/13/2025
During the Prohibition era in the Seattle area (1920–1933), bootleggers had to find smart ways to avoid being caught by the police. One of the strangest tricks they used was wearing "heifer-heels" — special shoes that made their footprints look like cow tracks. This clever disguise helped them move through muddy fields without raising suspicion. Some even used secret boat routes, hidden compartments in cars, and fish crates to smuggle alcohol. Dive into this fascinating and lesser-known piece of history where creativity met crime!
Transcript
00:00During the prohibition era in the Seattle area from 1922-1933, alcohol was illegal and
00:07many people known as bootleggers secretly sold it.
00:11To avoid getting caught by the police, they had to come up with a clever trick.
00:16One smart idea they used for wearing something called high four heels.
00:20These were special shoes that left footprints like a cow's hoof instead of a person's
00:25shoes.
00:26When bootleggers walked through muddy fields or soft ground, it looked like a cow had passed
00:31by, not people.
00:33This way the police could not follow their tracks.
00:35It was a funny and smart way of hoofing it, walking like a cow to stay out of trouble.
00:41Bootleggers in the Seattle area during prohibitions were not just sneaky, they were highly creative
00:47and often worked in organized networks.
00:50Some even used modified cars with hidden compartments to transport illegal alcohols.
00:56across state lines or through remote forest routes.
01:00In the Pacific Northwest where the coastal lines and dense forests provided nature covers, bootleggers
01:06would sometimes use bots to smuggle alcohol from Canada, especially from British Columbia
01:12where alcohol laws were more relaxed.
01:15These bootleggers were known as rum runners.
01:18Interestingly, some local fishermen secretly helped them by hiding bottles under their fish
01:24crates.
01:25To stay ahead of the law, bootleggers also used secret codes and signals and in a few rare cases,
01:31bribed police officers to look the other way.
01:33The use of high four heels was just one of many clever ways they tricked law enforcement while
01:39keeping their illegal business running.
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01:44Thanks for watching.

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