Nass, the Fishing Shanty Bootlegger

In the summer of 1921, a 35-year-old Oshkosh bootlegger named Herman Nass set up a moonshine distillery in a floating fishing shanty on the Fox River near the Wisconsin Street Bridge. On a Saturday night in late October that year, four young men broke into the shanty and robbed it of several gallons of moonshine. Later that evening, the men were pulled over by police. Their truck was searched and they were arrested for transporting the illicit booze. The thieves led the cops back to the shanty where Herman Nass was found "asleep and partially intoxicated." Nass was arrested. The cops confiscated his still and destroyed his remaining moonshine by pouring kerosene into it. It was Nass’ second bust for bootlegging in less than five months. His first arrest had cost him $200 (about $3,000 in today's money). This time, they threw the book at him. Nass got a nine-month prison sentence.

The Nass shanty is long gone, but a few of the old fishing shanties are still left along the south shore of the Fox River near the Wisconsin Street Bridge.