Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures

432 East Campus Mall, Room 332
Madison, Wisconsin 53706
608-262-8180
Web site: http://csumc.wisc.edu

National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium (Map)

The River Harvest Project surveyed mainly Upper Mississippi River commercial fishing, clamming, and duck hunting traditions in 1987, including custom wooden and aluminum flatboat building, wooden duckboat building and duck decoy carving, net-fishing, hoop-net knitting as well as fish pickling and smoking. Folklorist Janet C. Gilmore formally interviewed over half of the c. 30 commercial fishermen, fish marketers, and boat builders that she visited on both sides of the river in northeastern Iowa, southwestern Wisconsin, and northwestern Illinois. The survey led to presentations in Iowa and Illinois, photo exhibits at Highland Community College and the Dubuque County Historical Society Museum, as well as commercial fishing demonstrations at the Dubuque County museum in concert with other programming.