Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1892-11-15


tell the Kekoskee fish story, says
a correspondent Of Forest and
Stream, provided that 1 do 30 in a
careful and temperate manner. /
do not know how to obey this in
junction better than 10y giving it
in the words of DIR. Clark, of May |
vile, Wis, from whom we first |
heard it.
These events happened before
the war;" said he. They are so
singular and improbable that 1
always hesitate about telling the
story. You will probably laugh
at me and not believe me, yet
every word of this is true. "The
winter of 1860 was very cold. At
that time a vast lake covered the
whole ground where Horizon
Marsh now is. This lake was full
of fish, and when the ice had fro
zen deep over every portion of the
lake these fish became distressed
for air. The Rock River, as you
know, is a lively stream here, and
as you have noticed it has q
stretch of swift water just below
the great dam at Kekoskee. This
dam existed at the time of the sto-
ry. You have looked with your own
eyes upon the very spot where
there startling incidents occurred.
The fish, unable to breathe in
the half solid lake, crowded up the
live channel of the Rock River,
making for the hole which the
swift water kept open in the ice
below Kekoskee dam. Most of
these fish were bullheads, and no
river of salmon ever equaled this
run of bullheads. 1t is six miles
from the lake up to Kekoskee dam
and the ice on the river was two
feet thick, yet the whole bed of
the river-forty yards wide-was
for six miles SO packed with bull
heads that the heavy covering of
tough ice in places rolled and
tossed like the waves of the sea, so
desperate was the struggle of the
horny host beneath it.
The first arrival of the run of
fish at the open hole was marked
by geyserlike eruption of bull
heads, so feet across and - feet
high. The pressure of the fish
behind was simply enormous. The
fish could not get back in the water
and slid out on the ice, covering
it in every direction for hundreds
of yards to a depth varying from
six inches to two feet.
The air was filled with strange,
low, murmuring sound, which
could be heard nearly a mile
around. Old settlers say they
have never heard such a sound
since. DreadiDg some unknown
calamity they hastened to the spot
and there, as you may suppose,
their dread was turned to JOY.
I Before noon of that day every
team of the whole neighborhood
was at the lam hauling bullheads,
The amount of bullheads taken
from that spot l hesitate to name
for fear you will not believe it
No one believes it. They always
laugh at us when we tell this
story, and think we have gone
crazy. In Wisconsin the term
"Kekoskee man" is used to desig.
nate one who has a wheel in his
head. No Kekoskee man has
been believed on oath or admitted
to a jury since $50. This unearn
ed reputation has ruined the town
You see it as it is, silent, almos
deserted, a few empty bnildingi
standing as monuments TO towi
martyred unto ruin by too stric
an adherence to the truth. Fo.
every word of this story is true.
If you will come with me abou
a mile in the country, 1 will intro
, duce you to the Widow SneideI
now an old lsdy. The Widoy
Sneider will tell you that on on
morning she counted 900 wagon
loads Of bullheads on their wa
! from the geyser below the dar
This was only one morning an
the run lasted for two weeks. @
course this number of wagons reI
Q resented only part of those whic
Q passed, and this was only on
F road of several leading out int
the country.
# The bullheads were shoyelle
80 A .....,,. I;lvo notofoaa an