U.S. Fish Commission and the Early Days of Fish Culture
Robert Roosevelt is more commonly known today as the uncle of Teddy. However, he was a powerful and well-known man in his own right in the last decades of the 19th century. He was a strong believer in the acclimatization movement and, during his one term in Congress, introduced the bill that ultimately led to the creation of the U.S. Fish Commission.Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division LC-BH83- 2593
Robert Roosevelt is more commonly known today as the uncle of Teddy. However, he was a powerful and well-known man in his own right in the last decades of the 19th century. He was a strong believer in the acclimatization movement and, during his one term in Congress, introduced the bill that ultimately led to the creation of the U.S. Fish Commission.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division LC-BH83- 2593
Livingston Stone and his assistants had this portrait taken in San Francisco in 1873. Willard Perrin was Stone's nephew. There is some confusion about the identity of the man on the right. Although the front of the photo says it is Loren Greene, the back suggests it may have actually been Loren's brother Myron. The latter seems more likely as other records from the time state that it was Myron who went on the 1873 expedition.Photo courtesy of Becky McCue, Stone's granddaughter.
Livingston Stone and his assistants had this portrait taken in San Francisco in 1873. Willard Perrin was Stone's nephew. There is some confusion about the identity of the man on the right. Although the front of the photo says it is Loren Greene, the back suggests it may have actually been Loren's brother Myron. The latter seems more likely as other records from the time state that it was Myron who went on the 1873 expedition.Photo courtesy of Becky McCue, Stone's granddaughter.
In his 1857 report to the Vermont legislature, George Perkins Marsh declared that "the people of New England are suffering, both physically and morally, from a too close and absorbing attention to pecuniary interests, and occupations of mere routine. We have notoriously less physical hardihood and endurance than the generation which preceded our own, our habits are those of less bodily activity; the sports of the field, and the athletic games with which the village green formerly rung upon every military and civil holiday, are now abandoned, and we have become not merely a more thoughtful and earnest, but, it is to be feared, a duller, as well as a more effeminate, and less bold and spirited nation."
The solution, he believed, was to stock the rivers with fish and thereby encourage men to get outside and restore their virility by going fishing.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division LC-BH82- 4981 A
In his 1857 report to the Vermont legislature, George Perkins Marsh declared that "the people of New England are suffering, both physically and morally, from a too close and absorbing attention to pecuniary interests, and occupations of mere routine. We have notoriously less physical hardihood and endurance than the generation which preceded our own, our habits are those of less bodily activity; the sports of the field, and the athletic games with which the village green formerly rung upon every military and civil holiday, are now abandoned, and we have become not merely a more thoughtful and earnest, but, it is to be feared, a duller, as well as a more effeminate, and less bold and spirited nation."
The solution, he believed, was to stock the rivers with fish and thereby encourage men to get outside and restore their virility by going fishing.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division LC-BH82- 4981 A
Seth Green was known as the father of fish culture in America.
Seth Green was known as the father of fish culture in America.
The crew of the U.S. Fish Commission builds a bridge across the McCloud with the help of a Wintu Indian (right).Photo courtesy of Becky McCue, granddaughter of Livingston Stone.
The crew of the U.S. Fish Commission builds a bridge across the McCloud with the help of a Wintu Indian (right).Photo courtesy of Becky McCue, granddaughter of Livingston Stone.
Spawning Rainbow trout at a U.S. Fish Commission facility in Iowa.National Archives.
Spawning Rainbow trout at a U.S. Fish Commission facility in Iowa.National Archives.
The Interior of the U.S. Fish Commission's Central Station in Washington D.C. The jars in the background are hatching jars for eggs. Fish and eggs from all over the world were collected and distributed from this room.National Archives 22-ffb-491
The Interior of the U.S. Fish Commission's Central Station in Washington D.C. The jars in the background are hatching jars for eggs. Fish and eggs from all over the world were collected and distributed from this room.National Archives 22-ffb-491
This portrait of Livingston Stone appears to have been taken before he grew his dundrearies and travelled to California.Photo courtesy of Becky McCue, granddaughter of Livingston Stone
This portrait of Livingston Stone appears to have been taken before he grew his dundrearies and travelled to California.Photo courtesy of Becky McCue, granddaughter of Livingston Stone
This drawing of a dam and water wheel was likely sketched by Stone or one of the other U.S. Fish Commission crewmembers on the McCloud. It looks like it might represent the dam and wheel in this photo.Courtesy of Becky McCue, granddaughter of Livingston Stone.
This drawing of a dam and water wheel was likely sketched by Stone or one of the other U.S. Fish Commission crewmembers on the McCloud. It looks like it might represent the dam and wheel in this photo.Courtesy of Becky McCue, granddaughter of Livingston Stone.
Boxing was as good a way to pass the time as any on the McCloud. Nothing was written on the back of this photo. It appears to have been taken at the main U.S. Fish Commission. Livingston Stone is visible sitting down in the background and the boxer on the left appears to be Loren Greene, one of Stone's first assistants.The photo is courtesy of Becky McCue, granddaughter of Livingston Stone.
Boxing was as good a way to pass the time as any on the McCloud. Nothing was written on the back of this photo. It appears to have been taken at the main U.S. Fish Commission. Livingston Stone is visible sitting down in the background and the boxer on the left appears to be Loren Greene, one of Stone's first assistants.The photo is courtesy of Becky McCue, granddaughter of Livingston Stone.
An Attack. The men on the left appear to be Wintu Indians, and the men on the right to be from the U.S. Fish Commission. The subjects would have had to have stood very still for a long time to have produced such a clear picture; the photograph was clearly staged for the benefit of the photographer. However, similar confrontations were a very real phenomenon, especially in the early years of the U.S. Fish Commission's presence on the McCloud. Stone and his crew were threatened several times and other would-be settlers were killed by the Wintu as late as 1873.Photo courtesy of Becky McCue, granddaughter of Livingston Stone.
An Attack. The men on the left appear to be Wintu Indians, and the men on the right to be from the U.S. Fish Commission. The subjects would have had to have stood very still for a long time to have produced such a clear picture; the photograph was clearly staged for the benefit of the photographer. However, similar confrontations were a very real phenomenon, especially in the early years of the U.S. Fish Commission's presence on the McCloud. Stone and his crew were threatened several times and other would-be settlers were killed by the Wintu as late as 1873.Photo courtesy of Becky McCue, granddaughter of Livingston Stone.
National Archives 22-FFB-1001
National Archives 22-FFB-1001
The U.S. Fish Commission raised fish for several years in ponds on what is now the National Mall in Washington D.C.National Archives
The U.S. Fish Commission raised fish for several years in ponds on what is now the National Mall in Washington D.C.National Archives
Livingston Stone stands at the back of this small boat, guiding a fishing expedition for rainbow trout. The back of the photo reads "Trout expedition by Livingston Stone + Willard [or M~] Perrin." The photo was probably taken some time on the McCloud some time between 1879 and 1888. It is hard to say what method they were using to catch the fish--nets, rods, and traps were all employed by Stone and his crew.Photo courtesy of Becky McCue, granddaughter of Livingston Stone.
Livingston Stone stands at the back of this small boat, guiding a fishing expedition for rainbow trout. The back of the photo reads "Trout expedition by Livingston Stone + Willard [or M~] Perrin." The photo was probably taken some time on the McCloud some time between 1879 and 1888. It is hard to say what method they were using to catch the fish--nets, rods, and traps were all employed by Stone and his crew.Photo courtesy of Becky McCue, granddaughter of Livingston Stone.
This portrait of Livingston Stone was taken some time after 1873 in San Francisco.Photo courtesy of Becky McCue, granddaughter of Livingston Stone
This portrait of Livingston Stone was taken some time after 1873 in San Francisco.Photo courtesy of Becky McCue, granddaughter of Livingston Stone
This portrait of Livingston Stone, his wife Rebecca, and son Ned was taken by Thomas Houseworth, a famous San Francisco photographer.Photo courtesy of Becky McCue, granddaughter of Livingston Stone
This portrait of Livingston Stone, his wife Rebecca, and son Ned was taken by Thomas Houseworth, a famous San Francisco photographer.Photo courtesy of Becky McCue, granddaughter of Livingston Stone
A portrait of the U.S. Fish Commission crew on the McCloud. Livingston Stone is in the back, second from left. Date and photographer unknown.
Photo courtesy of Becky McCue, granddaughter of Livingston Stone
A portrait of the U.S. Fish Commission crew on the McCloud. Livingston Stone is in the back, second from left. Date and photographer unknown.
Photo courtesy of Becky McCue, granddaughter of Livingston Stone
Stone and his crew seem to have enjoyed setting up scenes like this for the photographer. My guess is that they had built a more substantial headquarters building alongside the McCloud by the time this picture was made, but wanted to show the people back home what the early days had been like. To my eye it looks like Myron Greene on the left, Willard Perrin in the middle, and perhaps Stone on the right.Photo courtesy of Beck McCue, granddaughter of Livingston Stone.
Stone and his crew seem to have enjoyed setting up scenes like this for the photographer. My guess is that they had built a more substantial headquarters building alongside the McCloud by the time this picture was made, but wanted to show the people back home what the early days had been like. To my eye it looks like Myron Greene on the left, Willard Perrin in the middle, and perhaps Stone on the right.Photo courtesy of Beck McCue, granddaughter of Livingston Stone.
National Archives
National Archives
For several years, the U.S. Fish Commission raised fish in ponds on what is now the National Mall in Washington D.C. In this photo, fish arrive in milk containers on a horse-drawn cart. Note the unfinished Washington Monument in the background.National Archives 22-FFB-539
For several years, the U.S. Fish Commission raised fish in ponds on what is now the National Mall in Washington D.C. In this photo, fish arrive in milk containers on a horse-drawn cart. Note the unfinished Washington Monument in the background.National Archives 22-FFB-539
A portrait of some Wintu Indians on the McCloud River in 1882.
National Archives FFB-486
A portrait of some Wintu Indians on the McCloud River in 1882.
National Archives FFB-486
Inside one of the U.S. Fish Commission's fish cars--specially designed railroad cars in which fish and their attendants could travel around the country.National Archives FFB-384
Inside one of the U.S. Fish Commission's fish cars--specially designed railroad cars in which fish and their attendants could travel around the country.National Archives FFB-384
A group of Wintu taken about 1882.National Archives 22-FFB-527
A group of Wintu taken about 1882.National Archives 22-FFB-527
A picture of some Wintu Indians, the original inhabitants of the McCloud River area. Date unknown.Photo courtesy of Becky McCue, granddaughter of Livingston Stone
A picture of some Wintu Indians, the original inhabitants of the McCloud River area. Date unknown.Photo courtesy of Becky McCue, granddaughter of Livingston Stone
Spencer Fullerton Baird was the leader of the U.S. Fish Commission in its first years.Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 2, Folder 7
Spencer Fullerton Baird was the leader of the U.S. Fish Commission in its first years.
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 2, Folder 7
The U.S. Fish Commission freely delivered fish to government as well as private groups and individuals. The Commission would send a telegraph a few days before they arrived, and the recipients would wait at the train station to pick up the fish and stock them into local rivers or ponds.National Archives 22-FFB-1000
The U.S. Fish Commission freely delivered fish to government as well as private groups and individuals. The Commission would send a telegraph a few days before they arrived, and the recipients would wait at the train station to pick up the fish and stock them into local rivers or ponds.National Archives 22-FFB-1000
A view of the McCloud as it probably appeared when Stone and his crew first arrived.National Archives 22-FFB-518
A view of the McCloud as it probably appeared when Stone and his crew first arrived.National Archives 22-FFB-518
There are no notes on this picture to indicate it's date or location. The dam and water wheel were probably built on the McCloud by the U.S. Fish Commission to catch fish or supply water to the hatchery and rearing ponds.Photo courtesy of Becky McCue, Livingston Stone's granddaughter.
There are no notes on this picture to indicate it's date or location. The dam and water wheel were probably built on the McCloud by the U.S. Fish Commission to catch fish or supply water to the hatchery and rearing ponds.Photo courtesy of Becky McCue, Livingston Stone's granddaughter.
Horsemen cross the McCloud River near the salmon station, probably around 1882.National Archives 22-FFB-328
Horsemen cross the McCloud River near the salmon station, probably around 1882.National Archives 22-FFB-328