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

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  • 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 showcases 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 University of Wisconsin-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.

    The collection was compiled by the University of Wisconsin-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, Wisconsin.

Interviewee Collection Description Interviewer Date of Interview Location of Interview Affiliation
Willard Jenkins People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

On May 11, 2006, Bill Casper interviewed Willard Jenkins for the People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish project. They discuss Willard's first time fishing in the late 1940s, some of the more memorable people he's known, and methods of rescuing people from mishaps on the ice. Jenkins recounts various incidents that illustrate the dangers and unpredictability of sturgeon fishing, including tales of vehicles breaking through the ice and the challenges of safely navigating the frozen lake.

 Bill Casper Malone, WI University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum
William Casper People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

William "Bill" Casper was born on January 29, 1931, on a farm on the east shore of Lake Winnebago in Taycheedah, Wisconsin. He has spent his entire life in this area, except for four years during the Korean War. Casper grew up on the family farm, which he continued to be associated with throughout his life. He was introduced to hunting and fishing at an early age by his uncles, particularly Ambrose Langenfeld, who played a significant role in shaping his interest in sturgeon spearing. At the age of 14, Casper speared his first sturgeon.

 Paul Muche Fond du Lac, WI University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum
William Casper People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

William Casper was born in Wisconsin and grew up in a rural area near Lake Winnebago. He developed an interest in fishing at a young age, encouraged by his uncles. Casper's career began at Giddings & Lewis, a machine shop in Fond du Lac, where he worked as a machinist and eventually became a maintenance foreman. His passion for fishing, particularly sturgeon spearing, led him to become an advocate for the conservation of the species.

 Kathleen Schmitt Kline Taycheedah, WI University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum
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