﻿8 
  MUSSEL 
  EESOURCES 
  OF 
  THE 
  ILLIlSrOIS 
  RIVER. 
  

  

  With 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  pearl 
  hunters 
  making 
  their 
  test 
  hauls 
  

   and 
  drifting 
  at 
  random 
  along 
  the 
  different 
  stretches, 
  nothing 
  of 
  con- 
  

   sequence 
  was 
  done 
  in 
  the 
  shelling 
  industry 
  until 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1892, 
  

   when 
  work 
  began 
  in 
  earnest 
  on 
  a 
  fairly 
  large 
  scale 
  and 
  continued 
  all 
  

   summer, 
  at 
  Meredosia. 
  However, 
  at 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  season, 
  the 
  in- 
  

   dustry 
  was 
  apparently 
  dropped 
  on 
  this 
  river 
  and 
  practically 
  nothmg 
  

   was 
  done 
  until 
  1907. 
  At 
  that 
  time 
  the 
  supply 
  of 
  shells 
  was 
  dimin- 
  

   ishing 
  greatly 
  on 
  the 
  Wabash 
  and 
  some 
  other 
  streams, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  

   feared 
  that 
  unless 
  new 
  territory 
  should 
  be 
  found 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  shellers 
  

   were 
  liable 
  to 
  be 
  out 
  of 
  employment 
  and 
  the 
  button 
  factories 
  con- 
  

   siderably 
  hampered 
  thereby. 
  As 
  the 
  Illinois 
  had 
  been 
  previously 
  

   tested 
  and 
  proved 
  satisfactory, 
  the 
  mussel 
  fishermen 
  from 
  various 
  

   localities 
  went 
  to 
  that 
  river 
  in 
  large 
  numbers 
  for 
  shells 
  and 
  pearls. 
  

   Shelling 
  began 
  at 
  once 
  in 
  the 
  BeardstoAm 
  district, 
  reachmg 
  from 
  above 
  

   Grand 
  Island, 
  and 
  as 
  far 
  down 
  as 
  Pearl, 
  and 
  during 
  the 
  next 
  two 
  3"ears 
  

   the 
  industry 
  extended 
  over 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  stream. 
  The 
  Illi- 
  

   nois 
  reached 
  its 
  maximum 
  shell 
  production 
  during 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  1909, 
  

   when 
  thousands 
  of 
  tons 
  of 
  good 
  button 
  shells 
  were 
  gathered 
  and 
  ptit 
  

   in 
  piles 
  along 
  the 
  shore 
  to 
  await 
  shipment. 
  

  

  This 
  river 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  most 
  productive 
  stream 
  per 
  mile 
  of 
  any 
  

   in 
  the 
  country, 
  and 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  reliably 
  stated 
  that 
  only 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  

   years 
  ago 
  more 
  than 
  2,600 
  boats 
  were 
  engaged 
  m 
  the 
  mussel 
  fishery 
  

   between 
  Peru 
  and 
  Grafton. 
  It 
  appears 
  that 
  the 
  total 
  number 
  now 
  

   engaged 
  would 
  not 
  exceed 
  400, 
  and 
  even 
  this 
  number 
  is 
  largely 
  maia- 
  

   tained 
  by 
  the 
  new 
  dip-net 
  method 
  in 
  use 
  at 
  Peoria 
  and 
  the 
  new 
  field 
  

   opened 
  up 
  m 
  the 
  lowev 
  district. 
  For 
  fishmg 
  to 
  be 
  profitable 
  m. 
  a 
  

   river 
  like 
  the 
  Illinois, 
  where 
  the 
  shells 
  are 
  not 
  of 
  the 
  kiad 
  to 
  command 
  

   the 
  highest 
  prices, 
  the 
  yield 
  must 
  be 
  relatively 
  abundant. 
  The 
  price 
  

   paid 
  for 
  the 
  1912 
  shells 
  was 
  from 
  $12 
  to 
  $13 
  per 
  ton. 
  

  

  A 
  button 
  or 
  blank 
  factory 
  was 
  established 
  on 
  the 
  Illinois 
  at 
  Beards- 
  

   town 
  in 
  1907, 
  and 
  the 
  next 
  year 
  a 
  second 
  plant 
  was 
  located 
  at 
  Mere- 
  

   dosia. 
  At 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  (1912) 
  along 
  the 
  river 
  there 
  are 
  15 
  fac- 
  

   . 
  tories 
  with 
  more 
  than 
  250 
  machines, 
  including 
  1 
  at 
  Peoria, 
  using 
  

   about 
  4 
  tons 
  of 
  shells 
  per 
  week, 
  5 
  at 
  Beardstown, 
  2 
  at 
  Meredosia, 
  1 
  

   at 
  Naples, 
  5 
  at 
  Pearl, 
  and 
  1 
  at 
  Grafton. 
  

  

  Some 
  of 
  the 
  earlier 
  factories 
  have 
  changed 
  hands 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  times; 
  

   others 
  have 
  been 
  dismantled 
  and 
  removed 
  to 
  other 
  places. 
  These 
  

   factories 
  are 
  generally 
  blank 
  factories, 
  sawing 
  or 
  cutting 
  out 
  the 
  blanks 
  

   which 
  are 
  sent 
  elsewhere 
  to 
  be 
  finished. 
  The 
  buildings 
  are 
  usually 
  

   small 
  frame 
  structures, 
  with 
  inexpensive 
  machinery. 
  

  

  CHARACTER 
  OF 
  THE 
  SHELLS. 
  

  

  The 
  Illinois 
  is 
  distinctively 
  a 
  washboard, 
  blue 
  point, 
  and 
  warty- 
  

   back 
  (Quadrula) 
  river. 
  The 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  bottom, 
  the 
  current, 
  

   and 
  the 
  general 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  are 
  well 
  suited 
  to 
  the 
  growth 
  

  

  