The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1915-12-03
Largest Trout Ranch
in the United States
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Bingham County Has 1t

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formed a good while ago, but the
Crystal Springs Trout ranch is just
being developed, showing beyond a
doubt that many good things sur
vived Columbus and Queen Isabella.
Among them we may mention George
H. Isaac, man who for the past
year has been manipulating the forces
of nature to create speckled trout at
the place mentioned.
At first glance you think of trout
ranch as being snap; a sort of pic
mic grounds where man goes out
in a gasoline launch and admires his
speckled beauties and rainbow trout,
catches a few for dinner, strolls along
the shores of the lake watching
schools of fish retreating from his
own shadow and grows fat from high
living. AS often as he wants more
money he rounds up carload and
ships them to the kaiser and King
George or to Henry Ford and Andrew
Carnegie.
That is in fact the history of a
trout ranch as it is not. 1t is, how
ever, the history of The CRYSTAL
Springs Trout ranch as it is likely
to become if you will only consent
to ride in the launch and stroll on
the shores at times and permit very
small shipments to he made to you
instead of the Haiser or King George
Trout ponds are going to be very
popular and rather numerous in
Bingham county and for this and
other reasons it will be profitable
for you to read this article. 1t tells
of the largest trout ranch in the
United States, how it is being de-
veloped and how it will affect Bing-
ham county.
Crystal springs are about Is miles
southwest of Blackfoot, six miles
southwest of Pingree, two and half
miles southeast Of Springfield. five
miles east of Sterling and Is miles
northwest of Pocatello. They con-
sist of many cold clear springs situat-
ed in a number of different hollows
sloping to the southwark. Dams have
been constructed of cement, forming
many divisions and ponds, covering
between 40 ard so acres. Screens
placed in the dams permit the pass
ing of the water yet separate the
fish as desired A luXurant growth
of water cress and other vegetation
flourishes in the ponds and billions
of fresh water shrimps and snails
live in the kerbage,. forming the
choicest of trout food. Trout that
feed upon these forms of animal life
have the. best flavor in the world.
oc n
in the shipment of trout and is much
priced for garnishing when they are
served on the tables of epicures. Just
here lies an interesting fact that had
to do with a certain failure and the
loss of a large sum of money in
vested in this enterprise. AS hogs
fattened on a combination of mush
corn and nuts produce finely flavor
ed pork, and as turkeys finished off
with rations of dough beechnuts and
butternuts, seek the tables of kings
and princes, so the speckled. trout
and the rainbows when raised and
fattened on the right kind of food
possess an exquisit flavor. But there
is right way to apply good things;
the hog does not want to climb the
trees to get the nuts; the turkey
should not have to drill holes
through shells to get butternuts, and
trout should not have to eat all the
watercress and moss to get the
shrimps that flourish in its meshes.
In their natu1..l state, the trout snaps
only the shrimps that leave the vege-
tation and attempt to navigate the
clear water. In that way he gets a
chance at perhaps ten shrimps in
thousand, and this food, together
with toads, polywogs and other
things, puts Mr.. Trout in fine trim.
But when a fish expert comes along
and causes the trout to multiply I'M
til there IS a trout for every shrimp
that puts to sea, when toads Ind
polywogs become scarce and title
fishes are shy, thu it il hard tiInes
among trout. Driven Wy hun ,er,
they crowd into the vegetation md
nab shrimps and moss together. In
trying to dispose of the moss he els
it tangled in his ellis and the rough
spear-like edges irritate and inflame
the tissues and soon he has gill
disease. Or If he escapes that. he
may feel about like turkey or any
body else if confined to a diet of but
ternuts. For two or three years the
trout at Crystal springs were more or
less afflicted with troubles brought
on by improper food or other things
not understood by the management.
Great RATS of moss grow and form
cozy shades for the trout in summer,
and then they break their mornings
and suddenly float down to dam,
calk the outlet, raise the water line
and flood the dam, turning the fish
loose in the pond or stream below.
Machinery was put in to lift the moss
over the dams as fast as it came in
contact with the wheels constituting
the screens, but the gearing working
in the water wore out so rapidly that
new devices had to be found and in
stalled. Sometimes one raft after
another would let go in the night and
20 tons would need to be handled |
in the darkness. Screens would be
crushed, fish turned loose and lost,
ponds drained and pandemonium
would reign in troutdom. These are
some of the difficulties that were en-
countered raising trout at Crystal
springs, reputed to have more natural
resources for a trout hatchery than
any other set of ponds in the United