Before Prohibition, only 12 states had more breweries than Kansas, and those states were much larger in population. But in 1881, nearly 40 years before the rest of the nation, Kansas elected to prohibit alcohol. While brewing beer was illegal in the United States from 1919 to 1933, Kansas actually prohibited brewing from 1881 to 1987. That’s 106 years. This kept Kansas from growing into large commercial complexes like those of neighboring Missouri and Colorado.

One particular Kansas resident also played a major role in national Prohibition. Kansas was home to one of the most famous teetotalers, Carrie A. Nation. Arrested 30 times between 1900 and 1910, Nation was known for throwing rocks, hammers and hatchets to destroy saloons.