People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

  • Collection DOI:
    Principal Investigator:
    Kathleen Schmitt Kline, Frederick P. Binkowski, Ronald M. Bruch
  • People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin’s Love Affair with an Ancient Fish a tale of the cultural and scientific history of an iconic Wisconsin fish, the lake sturgeon. Throughout the process of writing the book, the authors interviewed community activists, sturgeon spearing enthusiasts, spear and decoy craftsmen, and scientific researchers associated with the Lake Winnebago sturgeon population. Because of the cultural, social, economic, and scientific knowledge captured in these interviews, the UW-Madison Wisconsin Water Library preserved the audio files as a collection of oral histories. This collection, People of the Sturgeon, encapsulates perspectives on lake sturgeon as they are reflected in the book.

    The People of the Sturgeon collection includes interviews with outdoorsmen, scientists, and craftsmen associated with the Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin, lake sturgeon population.

    Collection compiled by the UW-Madison Wisconsin Water Library. Audio courtesy of the Oshkosh Public Museum. Recordings were collected as part of the research for People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish published by Wisconsin Historical Society Press, Madison, WI.

Interviewee Collection Sort descending Description Interviewer Date of Interview Location of Interview Affiliation
John Abler People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

John Abler is an experienced sturgeon fisherman with a wealth of stories and knowledge about the sport. He has been involved in sturgeon fishing since the early 1940s and his experiences include memorable encounters with sturgeon and fishing trips with his father. Abler's expertise and passion for sturgeon fishing are evident in his detailed accounts of his experiences, making him a valuable source of information for those interested in the sport.

Unknown Unknown University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum
Dennis and Barb Cook People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

Barb and Dennis Cook and Art and Dorothy Levknecht are interviewed by Kendal Kamke regarding how both couples became involved in sturgeon spearing, and how they came to fish together as a group of four. They tell stories from their past fishing explorations, discuss eating fish, and talk about passing the tradition on to their kids.

Kendal Kamke Chilton, WI University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum
Reuben Hoelzel People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

Eugene Herubin interviews Reuben Hoelzel about his history with sturgeon spearing. Having been born in 1916, Hoelzel remembers when sturgeon spearing was an economic necessity and meals with sturgeon were like feasts. He discusses passing on the tradition to his children, how to clean and cook sturgeon, and decoy painting.

Eugene Herubin Appleton, WI University of Wisconsin Board of Regents
Donald Petersen, Sr. People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

Interviewed by Dick Koerner, Donald Petersen, Sr. (also known as Old Timer or O.T.) discusses his experiences with sturgeon spearing. He talks about changes in the sport, his spearing history, and preferences for recipes, spearing locations, and spears.

Dick Koerner Neenah, WI University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum
Cynthia Wendt People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

Cynthia Wendt is interviewed by Dick Ristow about her personal involvement in sturgeon spearing on Lake Winnebago. She tells about the challenges and enjoyment of sturgeon spearing, sharing her most memorable experiences. She talks about the people she has come to know through spearing and those that she met during the years that she owned Wendt’s On the Lake.

Dick Ristow Fond du Lac, WI University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum
Robert Abraham People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

Robert Jake Abraham, also known as Bob, was born and raised near Lake Winnebago, where he developed a deep connection to fishing and hunting from a young age. His family has a long history in the area, with his father being born just a mile north of their current residence. Robert's family were local dairy farmers, and he dairy farmed for many years before transitioning to fishing and guiding. He has a rich history of sturgeon fishing and guiding and has been involved in the local fishing community for decades.

Dick Ristow Unknown University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum
Ken Corbett People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

Ken Corbett tells stories of his time as a warden in an interview conducted by Ronald M. Bruch and Kathleen Schmitt Kline. He talks about dragging for set lines, how they caught poachers, crooked politicians, close calls, flying his plane, other wardens, undercover workers, and other experiences from his time spent as a warden.

Ron Bruch, Kathleen Schmitt Kline Oshkosh, WI University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum
Wayne Hoelzel People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

Dick Koerner interviews Wayne Hoelzel about his experiences sturgeon spearing. He tells tales of winter storms during spearing season and his favorite memories spearing.

Dick Koerner Menasha, WI University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum
Gordon Priegel People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

Ronald M. Bruch interviews Gordon Priegel, former DNR fish manager in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Priegel, who worked in Oshkosh from 1959 to 1970, was instrumental in many of the conservation practices and development of available knowledge on Lake Winnebago’s sturgeon population, both of which are still of great importance today. Priegel discusses research he conducted and memories from his working life.

Ronald M. Bruch Baraboo, WI University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum
Tom Wirth People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

Ronald M. Bruch interviews Tom Wirth about sturgeon population management, spawning, and other research and management projects. Recording ends abruptly right after 27 minutes.

Ronald M. Bruch Unknown University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum