Volume 11 , Issue 51

Stills & Prohibition Era & Laura Margaret (Westfall) Fox

We had an interesting email from Scott Stewart (email: scottstewart555@gmail.com). Scott is researching information on Laura Margaret (Westfall) Fox, who might have been involved in breaking up stills in the 1920s thru the 1930s during Prohibition. Can anyone out there help Scott verify that this family story is fact and not folklore?

Scott says, "I am hoping you might be able to help find this photo and information on Laura Margaret (Westfall) Fox. Margaret Westfall came to Oklahoma with her family during the Land strip. Later on married Fred Fox and was apparently involved in breaking up stills in the 1920's and 1930's during the Prohibition?

"The below e-mail outlines what I am looking for. Any help at all I would be very, very grateful for it, I am hoping to get this all together. I have attached her autobiography and her photo taken while she was still living in Alfalfa County as a young lady.

"Some of the reasons I wanted to track down the Westfall and Fox families in Oklahoma and specifically in Alfalfa was not only the lives they lived but about Laura (Westfall) Fox being involved with destroying bootlegger stills in the prohibition era.

"It is also possible that Eliza Jane Westfall, Laura's grandmother, was involved too. Such a big gap in their life from 1920 to 1930 and when the Foxes arrived here in Eugene, Oregon that we don't know much if any about. I know the beginning and the end but not much in the middle. Anyway if you can send this out in your ezine that would help so much.

"I was told by my uncle Dave Fox, a grandson of Laura, that at the time of prohibition Laura was really for it and very much involved with and against the Bootlegger stills. She would round up people to help destroy stills.

"My uncle Dave mentioned before he passed away that he visited living relations back in the early 1980's -- there was a display at the College in Alva, Oklahoma at Northwestern Oklahoma State University of Laura and photos of her destroying whiskey stills.

"This is what I am told, "That she got quite a number of people mad at her and Margaret and her husband, Fred, were ran out of Oklahoma -- moving to Oregon. This what I am told, I tried tracking someone down in Alva with no such luck yet. I am thinking that is one reason her bio may have stopped at 5 pages other than the fact she died and did not finish it.

"I really want to check the facts on this and make sure that its not some family folklore thats not true.

"Also of interest is the Mevlin Sweany mentioned in the Pleasant Ridge-Carmen Cemetery history cover sheet could be the same Mel Sweeny mentioned in my great-grandmothers autobiography, not sure but this would be a 2nd cousin of Laura ? needs some work."
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