The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1911-08-31
VWVHE bodies of four pearl hunt

tree limb recently in west
III Kentucky county. They had
been robbed by the riffraff that
follows in the trail of the pearl fisher
who strikes into a new country OF
rich finds. Pearls have recently been
found in large numbers in the rivers
that wander through the fiat lands of
the west Kentucky counties. The
pearl fleets are moving into the river
bottoms in both Kentucky and Ten
nessee.
The Mississippi valley is now sup
plying the bulk OF these pale gems
that encircle the white throats of the
worlds famous beauties. American
heiresses. princesses of the old reign
ing houses OF Europe, Indian rajahs
and the jewel fanciers OF all the world
buy and wear the mussel-born pearls
that are scooped from the boiled flesh
OF the fresh-water bivalve.
Thousands OF men and women are
engaged in the work of pearl fishing
among the rivers Of the great central
valley. 1t has become one OF the ac-
cepted ways of making an easy living,
and in some cases the fortunate fish
erman becomes wealthy through a
few lucky finds. Many fishermen have
thrown away their ners and tackle
and rugged their iat-bottomed boats
for the work OF gathering up the dent
zens OF the mussel beds.
Their fleets of dingy boats move
lazily up and down the streams that
are tributary to the Mississippi. They
lift tons Of shells from the mussel
beds in the oozy bottoms OF muddy
rivers. The working up of the shells
into pearl buttons has become an In
dustry Of great importance to many
Of the valley communities. Millions
of these grimy shells are taken from
the rivers each month. Great heaps
Of them lie along the rivers, memo
rials OF the first years Of the pearling
craze in the west
There are big fleets of the pear
fishermen's boats on the Illinois. Hun
dreds OF them patrol the waters ol
the Wabash and the Little Wabash
The Arkansas, the Red, the Des
Moines. the Rock and scores of othel
streams have numerous camps Of
pearl fishermen. Many Of the rivers
have been practically scraped clear
Of the mussels and the fishermen
have moved on to other and lesI
worked areas. Beardstown. H.. Mus
catine, iowa; Vincennes, Ind, anI
numerous villages in Arkansas hav,
long been the haunt of the foreigi
and the American pearl buyer.
Worlds Finest Pearls.
The big finds of late in Kertuck,
and Tennessee have stirred the inter
est OF the professional and amateu
hunter. For years many of the world
finest pearls have been coming ou
OF the lower valley. Buy a pearl Il
the United States and there are min
chances in ten that the lustrous ger
came originally from the grimy han
OF some pearl hnnter along the Wa
bash or the Illinois.
Visit the jewel shops OF Paris, VieI
ma or London, select a pearl OF tn
Q first quality, and five times out {
!, ten It is a Jewel that was picked OF
y Of a nussel shell somewhere In III
: new world
D Half the pearls sold in the market
y Of the old world as sea pearls al
i. known by experts to be the product
n Of the big and little streams that al
J. the haunt of the American pearl fisl
d erman II is now the source OF su
!, ply from which the markets OF II
d world draw their pale and lustroI
gems.
IS For some mysterious reason II
u pearl fisheries Of the far east are
+ cfining in Importance. The su
d Drowned expert divers of the Pc
. sian gulf are still dipping into Il
hot seas and CULTS of Asia, but the
finds become less valuable eve
N year. The pearl buyers OF Euro
A long since turned to America for Il
gems that are loved OF women.