Peoria earned the nickname, “The Whiskey City” by once being known as the alcohol distilling capital of the world. From 1844 to 1919 there were roughly 73 distilleries on the Peoria County tax roll.
The big daddy of them all was Hiram Walker, located in downtown Peoria. Hiram Walker opened up in 1933 after Prohibiton had ended and at one point employed over 1,000 people.
In the ’60’s the company was at its peak selling as much as eight million cases of whiskey a year. But hard liquor sales dropped in the ’70’s and the company fell on tough times. In 1981, Hiram Walker shut the Peoria distillery down. A year later Archer Daniels Midland or ADM moved into the plant and they’ve been there ever since.
I thought today we’d take a trip back to the Whiskey City era and look at some past photos and read some online articles about Hiram Walker whey they reigned supreme in Peoria!
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MEANWHILE BACK IN PEORIA’S PAST: HIRAM WALKER
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PHOTOS
I found these photos from the past online
A quartet of vintage Hiram Walker postcards.
Women from the bottling line, part one. They’re living in a black and white world.
Rolling out those whiskey barrels!
Women of the bottling line, part II. The wonderful world of color!
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More Stories!
I found these stories about Hiram Walker online too! What a wonderful and generous place the online world is!
Hiram Walkers in Peoria —- World’s Largest Distillery
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Related Posts: Meanwhile, Back in Peoria’s Past: Wee Tee Golf Center, Lou’s Drive-In and Fleming Potter.