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    'The marshes, rivers, and creeks of Winnebago Countyweýre noted
for the quality and quantity of its mink and muskrat furs. 
     The method of skinning a fur bearing animal was as follows: 
With a sharp knife a slit was made in the skin from the back feet to 
the tail. Then cut around the tail, turn the fur back inside out and 
loosen the fur from around the back feet.    Pull the fur inside out 
down from the body, ending at the ears, eyes and nose and freeing them 
with short careful strokes of the knife.    Lastly pull to the front feet,
and after cutting fur from them the pelt was freed from the carcass. 
     Various sized stretching boards, pelt shaped, were used on which 
the fur was stretched and tacked by the tail ends. Then with the 
knife were "fleshed" or "meated", meaning that all tissue,
fat, and 
flesh removed (without cutting through the pelt) so that only skin 
and fur remained. The board was then hung up on a nail for the dry- 
ing process. When dried the pelt was ready for market.