The document of the day at the National Archives in Washington, DC is an interesting piece of history for beer lovers. It’s a night telegram, or lettergram, sent by the California Hop Growers Association, in protest of a proposed wartime ban on brewing beer. It was received on April 28, 1917 by John E. Raker, who at the time was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California’s 2nd congressional district. The telegram is also part of a larger program at the Archives entitled “Teaching With Documents: The Volstead Act and Related Prohibition Documents.”
Click here to see a larger version of the telegram.
Interesting find, Jay. As I’m sure you know, California, and specifically Sonoma, was the biggest producer of hops back in the days before mechanization. I know some brewers are still growing some hops, like Sierra Nevada. Do you know who else is currently growing hops in the state?