Allen County, Indiana Genealogy

Mussels Clean Rivers

Save the Mussels! Ft Wayne lowered the river levels by nearly 3' for utility work and now the mussels need our help. We...

Posted by Northeast Indiana Water Trails on Thursday, September 10, 2020

Thursday, September 10, 2020 post by Northeast Indiana Water Trails on Facebook:

`Save the Mussels! Ft Wayne lowered the river levels by nearly 3' for utility work and now the mussels need our help. We encourage you to get on the water and help these important creatures back into the water. Paddle or walk the banks today anywhere upstream of the Hosey Dam on the three rivers downtown and do a little good while enjoying these awesome waterways! (Picture credit to Dan Wire taken at Stevie's Island)`

At the bottom of rivers and streams, a rare animal helps keep the water clean. Freshwater mussels have an incredible...

Posted by National Conservation Training Center on Thursday, December 28, 2023

Thursday, December 28, 2023 post by National Conservation Training Center on Facebook:

At the bottom of rivers and streams, a rare animal helps keep the water clean. Freshwater mussels have an incredible filtration capacity. On this picture you can see how after only 30 minutes, the tank with freshwater mussels contains crystal clear water while the second tank without mussels is still very cloudy and turbid.

December 28th marks the 50th Anniversary of the Endangered Species Act. Learn how freshwater mussel conservation efforts and partnerships are creating ripples of hope in conservation, science, technology, and communications!

Read the full story at Ripples of Hope At the bottom of rivers and streams, a rare animal helps keep the water clean. at U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Did you know that freshwater mussels literally breathe our rivers clean? Learn more about the wonder of freshwater mussels:

Posted by American Rivers on Thursday, December 28, 2023

Thursday, December 28, 2023 post by American Rivers on Facebook:

Did you know that freshwater mussels literally breathe our rivers clean? Learn more about the wonder of freshwater mussels:  Mommy Mussels and the Breathing Rocks Freshwater mussels breathe our rivers clean. A new investigation aims to uncover the truth about why mussels are mysteriously dying off — and how to protect these important river creatures.

Mussel Attacks Bass

Come closer.... a little closer....BOOM! 💥 Did you know freshwater mussels shoot their fertilized eggs (glochidia) at passing fish? The glochidia hitch a ride on the host fish's gills for several weeks before dropping to the stream bed to start their new life. Our native freshwater mussels are the foundation of healthy rivers and streams. They clean waterways, stabilize aquatic ecosystems, and have the coolest life cycle around. Video shows a largemouth bass grabbing a plain pocketbook mussel lure. The mussel then shoots a cloudy substance at the fish's face. Video by Ryan Hagerty/USFWS

Posted by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Thursday, February 8, 2024

Thursday, February 8, 2024 video post by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Facebook:

Come closer.... a little closer....BOOM!

Did you know freshwater mussels shoot their fertilized eggs (glochidia) at passing fish? The glochidia hitch a ride on the host fish's gills for several weeks before dropping to the stream bed to start their new life.

Our native freshwater mussels are the foundation of healthy rivers and streams. They clean waterways, stabilize aquatic ecosystems, and have the coolest life cycle around.

Video shows a largemouth bass grabbing a plain pocketbook mussel lure. The mussel then shoots a cloudy substance at the fish's face. Video by Ryan Hagerty/USFWS

Mussels play a mighty role in Minnesota’s prairies 💪 Mussels benefit wildlife in prairie rivers, streams, and lakes in...

Posted by Minnesota Nongame Wildlife Program on Sunday, July 7, 2024

Sunday, July 7, 2024 post by Minnesota Nongame Wildlife Program on Facebook:

Mussels play a mighty role in Minnesota’s prairies

Mussels benefit wildlife in prairie rivers, streams, and lakes in a few ways:

Mussels clean water: they can filter up to 8 gallons of water every day.

They play an important role in the aquatic food web as a prey item for fish, raccoons, and river otters.

Mussel shells provide shelter for small fish and other invertebrates.

Learn more about mussels: Mussels of Minnesota #WorldPrairieMonth

Photo by USFWS

Mussels For Pearls or Buttons

In the early 1800s, rivers throughout the Midwest were full of mussels, with as many as 400 species in the Ohio River...

Posted by Historic Southern Indiana on Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Tuesday, October 22, 2024 post by Historic Southern Indiana on Facebook:

In the early 1800s, rivers throughout the Midwest were full of mussels, with as many as 400 species in the Ohio River valley. By the late 1800s, a pearl and button boom occurred with button factories operating in river towns throughout southern Indiana including Vincennes, Cannelton, Lawrenceburg, Leavenworth, Madison, Rockport, Petersburg and Shoals. Shells were harvested from the water and workers would bore holes out to make pearl buttons. Eventually the industry declined due to overharvesting and innovations in plastic that could produce a stronger synthetic button.

Arkansas mussel shells for buttons!

River Treasure In 2008, I was walking along the White River in Woodruff County, Arkansas, watching the water level...

Posted by Morton Otwell Gourdneck on Saturday, October 19, 2024

Saturday, October 19, 2024 post by Morton Otwell Gourdneck on Facebook:

River Treasure along the White River in Woodruff County, Arkansas

1905 - American Pearls Dearer - Prices Raised by Competition - Greed Threatens Western Mussel Beds

Article from Dec 10, 1905 The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne, Indiana) 1905, Mussels

1905 - American Pearls Dearer - Prices Raised by Competition - Greed Threatens Western Mussel Beds The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Sunday, December 10, 1905, Page 23.

1907 - Fresh Water Clams - Government May Take Action - Fort Wayne People Address Petitions Congress

Article from Jan 21, 1907 The Fort Wayne News (Fort Wayne, Indiana) 1907, Clams, Mussels, Wabash river, Pearls

1907 - Fresh Water Clams - Government May Take Action - Fort Wayne People Address Petitions Congress The Fort Wayne News, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Monday, January 21, 1907, Page 6.

1908 - Mussels In Maumee - US Fish Commissioner's Discovery - Developed Here - Audubon Society

Article from Jun 20, 1908 Fort Wayne Daily News (Fort Wayne, Indiana) 1908, Mussels, Maumee river, Allen county audobon society

1908 - Mussels In Maumee - US Fish Commissioner's Discovery - Developed Here - Audubon Society Fort Wayne Daily News, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Saturday, June 20, 1908, Page 12.

1908 - To Hunt Mussels - Two Professors Start on Trip Down Maumee - Government Men Explorations

Article from Jun 22, 1908 Fort Wayne Daily News (Fort Wayne, Indiana) 1908, Mussels, Maumee river

1908 - To Hunt Mussels - Two Professors Start on Trip Down Maumee - Government Men Explorations Fort Wayne Daily News, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Monday, June 22, 1908, Page 2.

1908 - Mussel Industry Described - US Fish Commissioner Clark Talks Before Audobon Society

Article from Jun 22, 1908 The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne, Indiana) 1908, Mussels, Pearls, Allen county audobon society

1908 - Mussel Industry Described - US Fish Commissioner Clark Talks Before Audobon Society The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Monday, June 22, 1908, Page 5.

1908 - Down The Maumee - Government Will Investigate Mussels on Way to Toledo - buttons

Article from Jul 28, 1908 Fort Wayne Daily News (Fort Wayne, Indiana) 1908, Mussels, Maumee river

1908 - Down The Maumee - Government Will Investigate Mussels on Way to Toledo - buttons Fort Wayne Daily News, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Tuesday July 28, 1908, Page 2.

1908 - Mussels In Maumee - Better Than Mississippi Variety, Says Authority - May Breeding Ground

Article from Jul 29, 1908 Fort Wayne Daily News (Fort Wayne, Indiana) 1908, Mussels, Maumee river

1908 - Mussels In Maumee - Better Than Mississippi Variety, Says Authority - May Breeding Ground Fort Wayne Daily News, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Wednesday, July 29, 1908, Page 4.

MUSSELS IN MAUMEE BETTER THAN MISSISSIPPI VARI VETY 8A.YS AUTHORITY y Maumee M y B Used as Breeding 5roun f Tind-MtsslittpprarQTovp- Ing Plaae for Them. That the musfiula la the Maumee river are th most valuable for com mercial purposes yet delivered in tbli country and that they hart thow found In the Mississippi beat a dty Mock so to apeak are the discoveries made by Or. Chirlea Wilton of the department of biology at the Westfleld Mass. stAtt normal school and H. W. Ciarlc of the fish commission at Washington who hare been lavestlgat- Ing blvalvea for some time In the lo cal strtswn tor the government Th gentleman l ft this morning ia a row boat on ft trip down the Manmee to Toledo to continue their investigation Doth men were members of party which m6de similar research last sum mer in the Mississippi river' M a re sult of whlah a plan was devised to prevent the wrtBrmlijaUon of mussels. Both are acquainted with tha Quality of the mussels in the Mississippi and Dr. Wilson'stated to the News yester day that those found In the Maumea/are vastly supeijlpr for commercial pur poses to those in the Mississippi. Because of the fine quality of the local variety it is highly piobable that the government may make the Maumee a breeding place for mussels and trans plant them li the Mississippi. Their Work Commercial. The work DlDr Wilson and Mr. Clatk is to attain results purely com mercial. The great button factories which obtain mussel shells from the Mlnslssippl rlVer b&ame alarmed lest their supply play out In the future. The manufacturers appealed to the government and monej was approprat- ed to employ1 experts to devise means for propopatlng the species Dr. Wllsonexplalned to a News re- potter jenterday that a mussel carries its ouug on ita gills until a certan period when the young detach them selves If a fish happens along the voting mussel will attach Itself by means of a pair of hooks to the body of the fish and cling there until fully developed and ready to drop o fflnto the watery It it absolutely essential that the young mussel attach Itself to a fish or It will tile and because flsb are not always conveniently near thousands of the young mussels die ev ery season. Provide Novel Plan. The members- of the commission whfch explored the Mississippi last summer located the mussel beds and reported the spawning times of the mussels and at spawning time employes of the government experiment station in Missouri began work on a plan devised by the commission. Great num bers of the small mussels were scraped at the proper time from the gills of the mother mussels and placed In a large tank. A large number of minnow a were then procured and thrown into the tank and when the mussels had all found lodgment on the minnows the fish were again turned Into the Mississippi. It Is in this Banner that the govern ment hopes to prevent the extinction of the mussels or the depletion of the supply. Local Ones Fine. "We were certainly agreeably sur prised at the superior mussels found In the Maumee1 said Dr. Wilson. "They are so much better than the Mississippi -variety that it is possible the Maumee will become a breeding place for mussels which will be turned Into the Mississippi. We found a man bere that has been fishing for mussels in the Maumee this summer. He lives lust at the eastern edge of Fort Wayne. We found that he has twenty-five tons of shells ready for shipment and they are worth $16 a ton. Usually it Is necessary to cull out the poorer grade of shells from the better and the culls usually number about as many as the good ones but the quality of the ones procured by this man was so fine that Tis culls from the entire twenty-five one did not exceed a half bushel. The purposjil'of the trip of Dr. Wil son and Mr. nkrke down the Maume s to locate the mussel beds and to earn the hablt' and he breeding times of the mussels. al is a 4 musStlal1a the com" purpo 1o'et 8J'fLthe dll1coverlea'madf. b hfoloarat We t/leld l b& t beenlnvestlgat. l r'lOm'e or eft.'thla tn& Maum'ee'to t :1i1 de 1Q1U. r' la u.a reo laDoat f' r ster. da th supe tpr 0 l oL Dr. 1\1lssls lppl ILl l1nnufactpr rs tb re b p lr filII ,1 the. mJl1Ise Its lf ane because. fls the,10ung d. lI d IIm s o sp wnlng Jtan scrap a t pr per w re agaln.turned Maume o".Ulllch th hasbeen tbla'summer.

1908 - Explorers Return - Government Scientists Maumee Full of Mussels - Button Factory Exhaust

Article from Aug 11, 1908 Fort Wayne Daily News (Fort Wayne, Indiana) 1908, Mussels, Maumee river

1908 - Explorers Return - Government Scientists Maumee Full of Mussels - Button Factory Exhaust Fort Wayne Daily News, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Tuesday, August 11, 1908, Page 4.

1909 - Quit River at Leo Harvest of Shells - Pearl Fishers have Taken Toms of Mussels from St. Joe

Article from Nov 30, 1909 The Fort Wayne News And Sentinel (Fort Wayne, Indiana) 1909, Mussels, St. joe river

1909 - Quit River at Leo Harvest of Shells - Pearl Fishers have Taken Toms of Mussels from St. Joe The Fort Wayne News And Sentinel, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Tuesday, November 30, 1909, Page 1.

1911 - Indiana Fisheries - mussel industry

Article from May 1, 1911 The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne, Indiana) 1911, Mussels

1911 - Indiana Fisheries - mussel industry The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Monday, May 1, 1911, Page 4.

1912 - Operator at Andrews - Expert Pearl Hunter - several tons of mussels from Mississinewa River

Article from Aug 12, 1912 The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne, Indiana) 1912, Mussels, Mississinewa river

1912 - Operator at Andrews - Expert Pearl Hunter - several tons of mussels from Mississinewa River The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Monday, August 12, 1912, Page 2.

1923 - In The Big Outdoors by Gustav J.T. Meyer - Indiana Fish, Game, and Forest League - mussels

Article from Nov 4, 1923 The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne, Indiana) 1923, Mussels

1923 - In The Big Outdoors by Gustav J.T. Meyer - Indiana Fish, Game, and Forest League - mussels The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Sunday, November 4, 1923, Page 12.