docLike most folks - North American Vintage Decoy and Sporting
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Like most folks - North American Vintage Decoy and Sporting
Like most folks who are challenged with writing about their particular decoy collecting passion, we find it difficult to come up with an eloquent summary what defines decoy. For off w hat de ha efin fines ess an an Oh Ohio Ohio od ecoy ec o F oy oy. o tthe or hee sake h saakke of sak of this thi hs article ar rti ticl clle and cle and seminar, s mi se mina mina nar, r, we we are are focusing ffo ocu cusi s ngg on si on the th he decoys decoys deco de co oyyss have that th att h avee fo av folk lkk art artt appeal app ppea eall and/or ea an nd/ d/or orr significant siggni nific fican fic fi a t hisan hiisThere ttory. to ry.. Th ry Ther eree wi er will lll be be a focus focu fo cu us on the the he northern nor o ther th her ern n edge ed dge g will of tthe of hee sstate tate ta ate t aand nd dw iilll leave leav le aavve waterfowling wate wa w ate terf erffow owli owli lin ing ng heritage her h eriit er itag tagge off tthe he he River Ohio Oh hio oR iver iver iv er Valley Va all lley lley ey for for another day. Additionally, an not oth heer d her da ay. ay Ad ddi d tiion onal allllyy, with wiith h more more ore historical h st hi stor oric or ical iic aall records rec ecor ord dss being digitized b be bei ein ing di d giti gi tize zed d and an nd searchable seearch sear ch hab able lee every eve very ry day, dayy, we are are excitexxccitteed d to to clarify clar cl a if ar ifyy the th he known know kn wn carvers carv ca rver ers and and club an cllub ub members mem mb beers ers r aand nd nd explore possibilities. eex xp xpl pllo orre some so om mee new neew wp osssi o ssiibi bili liti liti ties e. have We h We avve aan n eextraordinarily xtra xt tra raor ordina dina di narily nari riily ly deep dee eep reverence reve re reve verreenc nce for ffo or the tth he Ohio hunt their members who have preOh hio oh untt cl un cclubs lub ubs an aand nd thei th hei e r me m emb m er ers wh ho h ha ave ave ve p rere served, irreplaceable se ervved e , first first and and d foremost, for o emos em most, ost, os t, tthe h lland; he and; an nd; d; aan n iir rreepl placea acea ac eabl ble part pa p art r of of North Nort No rtth America’s Amer Am eric er ica’ a s waterfowl a’ watteerffow wa owl habitat. haabi bita tat. t Beyond Beeyo B yond nd that, preserved by-gone th hat at,, they they each eac ach h have have p reese serv serv rved ed rremnants emna emna em nant nts o off a b y ggo yone buildings, decoys, era: er a b a: uiild ldin i gs in g , punt punt boats, boa o ts ts,, deco de ecoys co oys y , photographs, phot ph otog oggra o raph ph hs, s perper ersonal daily Let’s son so nal correspondence na corr co rrres ep po onden nden nd e ce c aand nd dd aily ai lly lledgers. edge ed gers rs.. L rs et’s’s ttake et ak a ake step back st teep pb ack and ack ac and see seee how ho ow these thes th esee clubs club cl ub bs began. bega be gaan. n. After the Revolutionary War, Ohio was carved out of the Northwest Territory and further sub-divided with patch-quilt refinement. Most important for decoyy p collectors is the northeast section referred to as Connecticut’s “Western Reserve.” By 1800, 45,000 settlers had arrived, predominately from New England. And with successive treaties, Native Americans along the marshes of Lake Erie’s southern shore found themselves on smaller and smaller reserves. In 1803 Ohio was recognized as the 17th state by President Thomas Jefferson. That same year he put in place policies would further push Native Americans p lici po liici ciees tthat hatt w ha wo o out acquired Louisiana Purchase. o t of the ou the he newly ne Even Evv though most of the remaining E communities assimilated quite thorcco oughly ou ou ugggh hly ly into into o the t e emerging th em mer ergi g ng agrarian Ohio O io Oh o frontier ffron fr onti on tier ti err culture, ccul ultu ltu turree, there ther th e e were ere were we re demands dem emaan nds ffor o theirr or permanent Mispeerm manen anen nt removal rreemo m val vaal to to lands laan n nds ds west ds weessstt of of the he M isssissippi. population would siss s ip i pi p . The The p op o pul ulat atio ion of of the the he new new w sstate ttaate te w ould soar nearly million so oar to to ne near arly ly a m ly illi il lliio on n by by 1830 118830 30 and and nd as as a result resu resu re sult lt of Removal of the hee “Indian “In ndi diaan nR eem mo ovval al Act” Act ct” of of that tha hat year, yyeeaarr, the tth he last last la st vestiges v ssttige ve igges es of of the t e Native th Nati Na tive American tive Am meeric riica can culture cu ult ltur uree were ur were gone. gone. Ohio phenomenally Ohio o ggrew reew ph p e om en men enaallly enal ly tthrough hro hr ou uggh h ttransportation; rraans ans np po ort rtat attio ion; n; Great Lakes Greaat La Gr Grea L Lak akes kes sh ke sshipping, ship hip ippi ping ng, cana ccanals ca ana nal allss aand nd d tthen hen ra he hen rrailroads. rail aillro oad ds. It connected conn co n eeccte ted d fa ffarms, arm ms, s, ffactories acctto ori riess aand nd d ggrowing rowi ro rowi wing n ccities iittiees to tthe he greater natural off oi ggrreeaatteer er world. wo orld. rld. rl d. Newly-tapped Neewl N wlyy ta tapp pp p ped dn atu at urra raall resources reessou urrcces o oil,l, iron iirron on aand nd ccoal nd oaal fed o ffeed the t e Industrial th Indu In dust du ust striial al Revolution Rev evol oluttion olut ion in io n America. Ame meri rica ri ca.. Much wealth Mucch Mu h of of the th he we w eaallth was waass cconcentrated on o ncent ceen nttra r ted ted along te aallo alon on ng Lake Lake Erie Eri riee and more aan nd m mo ore or re sspecifically peecciific fical fi allly ly along alo long ng Cleveland’s Cle levveela ela land an nd d’ss Euclid Eucli lid d Avenue. Aven Av en nu uee. Mechanical Meech M ech chan haan nic ical innovation ical inn nnov ovvat ation ati ion born io born bo r of of the t e Canal th Caan C an naal Era Er was waas soon s on so used used us ed to to create ccrrea eate te additional add dit itio ion iona naal farmland. farm fa rm mla land nd n d. The Th mid-1850’s mid id-1 -185 -1 8 0’ 85 0s marked beginning markked d the hee beg gin inni niing ning ngg of of a concerted conc co oncer ncerte nc rted t d forty te fo ort rrty ty year y ar ye a efefef fort build miles fo ort to to bu buil ild il d thousands th hou ousa sand sa n s off m nd iilles es of of ditches ditche tche hes to drain draain i the 960,000 acres of Northwest Ohio’s “Great Black Swamp” for settlers and agriculture. It was seen as a triumph of man over nature. Similar channel straightening and drainage projects would concurrently destroy the 500,000 acre “Grand Kankakee d Marsh” to the west. Today, during periods M of o heavy rain, when the field tiles and open ditches are overwhelmed, the “Great Black d Swamp” clearly reminds us of its continued S existence. If not for the regular upkeep of the e man-made waterways by farmers and county m engineers, the swamp would easily reclaim its en footprint. ffo oo We have arrived at the genesis of Ohio duck hunting club; wealth, transportation, industrialization and a social movement that regarded time in nature as sacred. The sons and daughters of the Western Reserve’s most successful merchants, bankers and industrialists came of age during the American Romantic Era: 1820 to 1860. The American idea of egalitarianism moved these wealthy young Clevelanders to search for a way to set themselves apart intellectually tual tu ally ly and and spiritually. spi p ritu ritu ualllyy. Many sought an unfettered experience of the natural world. Henry David Thoreau (1817 – 1862) famously built a simple ca ccabin bn bi upon the shores of Walden Pond nd d iin n 18 11845 4 45 in order to experience and write t aabout te bout tthis bout bo hiis nature-based spiritualism. “Hope and the future for me are ree not not in n lawns law wnss and cultivated fields, not in towns wnss aand nd d ccititit ies, but in the impervious and quaking qua uaki k ngg swamps.” - Thoreau This explains the genesis of “The Thee Ar Th Ark” k” and what would eventually become co com ome m the the oldest, continuously operating hunt hun untt club club in the country: Winous Point SShooth othoo ho oting Club. It is one of thirty private vvaate t clubs clu lubs bss that still populate the Erie shore re between beettwe ween en Toledo and Sandusky… thirty versions veers rsio i ns io n of of Thoreau’s cabin, albeit a much la larger arger er “pond. “po p nd nd..” Clockwise: Bluebill Drake, Unknown Carver, WPSC; An Evening at the Ark engraving based on 1858-59 painting by German artist, Julius Gollman; Mallard/Black Duck Hybrid, 1878, Judge E. B. Sadler; Northwest Ohio Marsh; Ohio Land Grant Map Winous Point Shooting Club William (b.1818) and Leonard Case (b.1820), sons of a successful Cleveland banker-politician-railroad investor, formed a group of like-minded college-aged men in an inauspicious little cottage to further their study of nature; much of it through taxidermy and literature. It earned the nickname “The Ark” because of the extraordinary number of animal mounts. “…and “Arkite” the estimation “… …an and d to to be be call ccalled ca alled ed aan n “A “Ark rkit rk i e”” ggave, it avve, in th ave he es esti tima m ti ma t on ooff himself thee one th one soo honored, hon onor oorred, ed d, the th he right righ ri g t to gh to consider consi side d r hi ims msel ellf as oone nee Such set apart. se appar a t. Su uch eexclusiveness xxccllu usi sive vene ve neessss naturally nattur ural a lyy bred al bre red d a curiosity curi cu riosit ityy it brought the i the in the h uninitiated, uni nini niti ni tiiaatteed d, which wh w hic ich h in n tturn urn br ur brou o gh ou ghtt th he indi iindifference in ndiiffe ff re ren nce nce and the “Arkites” doubtless an nd reticence reetiice cenc ncee which nc w ic wh ich h tth he “A Arkkit itess” do d oubtles ubb esss so soon on llearned eaarn r ed d was most enhance their wa as th thee mo m ost stt eefficient ffi ie ffic ient nt way way ttoo en nha hancce th hanc thei eiir importance. impo im port po rtan rt a ce.” – Notes Nottes No tes on the thee Origin Oriigi gin n and a d History an H st Hi s orry off the the he “Ark”, “Ar Ark” k , by k” b EckEck ck-sstein st e n Case, ei Case Ca se,, 1902 se 1902 men had means make These The se yyoung oung ou ngg m en h ad d tthe he ttime im me an and d th thee me ean ns to t m akke ake wild ffrequent fr req eque uent ue ntt hunting n hunti untiin ngg and and n fishing fish fi shin sh i g fo in fforays raays iinto nto nt o th thee wi w ld d lands west off Cl Cleveland. land la nd ds we est o C evvel elan and. nd. d They Th y The would woul wo u d go ul go by by schooner sccho oon oner eerr to spots spo pots t iin ts n an and d around a ou ar ound nd SSanan-an dusky du d usk skyy Bay. B Ba a Connections were made with the local gentry and by the late 1840’s th a core group of men from both cities fformed fo o the “Cleveland and Sandusky Duck and Goose Hunting AssociaD ttion”ti o p. 12, Winous Point – 150 Years off Waterfowling and Conservation, o W Sedgwick & Kroll, 2010. Sed Se dgg d As market As maarrk hunters and local settlers put pressure on these tranquil marshes in and around p pr res e su s re re o n th Sandusky Bay, the need to maintain the romantic ideal of isolation led the group to create a charter so that land could be purchased and a basic structure built. The Winous Point Shooting Club (WPSC) in Port Clinton, Ohio was officially born in 1856; The legal charter having been signed by Charles L. Boalt, Judge Sadler, John Beardsley of Sandusky and Huron Counties; and William Case, the sole Clevelander. The “local” men of Milan and Sandusky may have entered into the deal with the Cleveland hunting comrades to purchase the land at a more competitive price than what might have been afforded to outsiders. Beardsley and Boalt bought the initial 205 acres for $400. Impressively, today the Winous Point Marsh Conservancy which was formed in 1999 now manages over 5,000 acres. The clubhouse, on the northern shore of the bay, at the mouth of Mud Creek was built in stark contrast to their opulent homes. The earliest membership consisted of 20 members: four from Cleveland, thirteen from Norwalk, Monroeville, Milan, Painesville and Sandusky, Ohio. The other three were from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Westchester and Sherman, New York. Going forward, membership would be limited to thirty. William Case was the club’s first president. It should be noted that Milan, Norwalk and Monroeville form a triangle with none being more than five miles apart. WPSC is about thirty miles from Norwalk, as the crow flies. In 1856, Milan was at the apex of its canal-era wealth. It was a bustling port town… buildClockwise: View of Sandusky, Ohio c.1890; Leonard and William Case photographs c. 1860; Rep. Thomas Beesley and Jay Cooke snipe hunting Cape May County NJ mid1860s; John Nicoley, President Abraham Lincoln and John Hay 1863; Blue-winged teal pair, unknown maker, George A. Stanley Rig WPSC, c. 1857; Inventor Charles Brush; Rufus Winslow mansion; WPSC early clubhouse photograph; E.B. Sadler c. 1865; Milan, Ohio engraving 1846 ing ships and exporting grain and lumber. It was also a town full of speculators; be it land, railroads or GOLD! E. B. Atherton, one of Winous Point’s first members, had led “The Milan Company” to California in April of 1849 at the height of the gold rush. In an amazing intersection of American history, Thomas Alva Edison’s biographer writes of the company’s departure: “One of Mr. Edison’s most vivid recollections goes back …to when as a child three of four years old he saw camped in front of his home six covered wagons, “prairie schooners,” and witnessed their departure for California. The great excitement over the gold discoveries was thus felt in Milan, and these wagons, laden with all the worldly possessions of their owners, were watched out of sight on their long journey by this fascinated urchin, whose own discoveries in later years were to tempt many other argonauts into the auriferous realms of electricity.” The members of Winous Point were an incredibly accomplished and connected set of late 19th century politicians, inventors, bankers, p industrialist and lawyers: John in in Milton Hay (President Lincoln’s M personal secretary and later U.S. p Secretary of State); Charles FranS cis c Brush (inventor, entrepreneur and a philanthropist); William and Leonard Case (second-generaL tion bankers, Cleveland politit ti cian, Case Western University, c Philanthropists) and Jay Cooke P (Banker and financier ( of o the Civil War). Other early memO bers b include Captain Benjamin Stannard, B Ephraim A. Brown, E Herman M. Chapin, H Rufus K. Winslow, R David W. Cross, D William John Gardiner, Wiill W llia iaam Boardman, Boar Bo a dm ar man Harvey Harv Ha rrvvey H. H Brown, Bro Br o Charles J. Clarke, Jeptha H. Wade, Col. William H. C Harris and George A. Stanley. Few are household H names today, but every one of them has an amazing life story many of which were published in turn-of-thecentury “Who’s Who” county, state or industry publications. Reintroducing their stories, does a service to their legacy and their decoys. Today, for collectors, there is no better singular book than the one previously referenced; Winous Point - 150 Year of Waterfowling and Conservation, authored by O Skeels, J.S. Weaver, Capt. Ben StanO.N. n nard, Robert Dalzell, D.W. Cross, Col. C C.W. Doubleday, William Case, J.H. Port A.E. Brown, L.M. Hubly, Com. E.A. ter, Scov Sc ovil ovil illlee, H. ille H M C M. h Scoville, H.M. Chapin, ?. P. Donzell, W.J. Boardman Boardmaan (and club manW.J. ager), Henryy Generous. SSedgwick d i k and d Kroll. It is thoroughly researched, beautifully fu ull lly presented and carefully refu re full full lly balanced to preserve errve ve the the he privacy of current ntt members, meem mbe bers rs,, while celebratingg the the club’s th clu cl ub b’s’s heriher eriitage. It is tragic to know that up until 1940, the club used to have an annual bonfire to discard damaged or unwanted wooden decoys. The club now maintains an impressive collection, not necessarily an outrageously valuable one, just rich in diversity and provenance. They were inventoried in 1975 by a group of six Ohio and Michigan collectors led by C. Victor “Vic” Bracher, of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, a Remington Arms representative, decoy carver and collector. The Iconic Image Fifteen Winous Point members and guests posed in front of the clubhouse for Cleveland daguerreotype artist, Thomas T. Sweeny. Proudly displayed in the forefront are at least seven distinctive decoys. Scattered throughout the scene were punt boats and poles, reed mats, a live decoy duck and various guns. Each man assumed a pose as the plate was exposed, a process that sometimes took a couple minutes. It may have been the traditional “redeployment of the punt boat fleet.” on the first day of the season. (WP-150, p.285) The open windows and doors indicate a warm fall day. Within the old frame, the aging mat identifies each man in order of location along with the date “1864”: U forttu Un Unfortunately there is a ggla glaring inconsistency: The Th club’s president, William Case, could W not have not hav no h ha av been there in 1864. He He had haad d died from consumption (tuberculosis) in ssu ump mpt April Apri Ap r l of o 1862. Itt is believed is be b lieevv that this iconic li image, used iim mag a e u s d on se on the cover of the Winous Point book, was taken in the fall of 1861. Records indicate the first legal day to hunt wildfowl that year would have been September 1st or 2nd. Perhaps it was taken to recreate the essence of the famous “Ark” painting which had been done just three years earlier. William Case’s health may have been failing precipitously, thus he is on the porch, without intention of going out onto the marsh. Without modern-day treatments, the disease would have had a course of roughly three years and he was, unknowingly down to the last eight months of his life. With Fort Sumter having been attacked five months prior, there were guests present who were being afforded a special day among friends before heading off to war: According to Civil War records, Company B of the 2nd Ohio Cavalry consisted “of the flower of the Western Reserve and was the special pride of that sturdy old statesman Ben Wade under whose supervision it was raised. It was made up of enthusiastic intelligent young men fresh from the schools and Colleges …assembled at Camp Wade on University Heights Cleveland” (The Biographical Cyclopædia and Portrait Gallery with an Historical Sketch of the State of Ohio) Colonel C. W. (Charles William) Doubleday was its commanding officer. He is not believed to be related to the more famous General Abner Doubleday. Nonethe-less, Charles was a fascinating character with stories from the California Gold Rush, the Nicaraguan Civil War and southern cessationist conspiracies. Camp Wade was prepared in the late summer and soldiers reported in the first weeks of September to be “uniformed, mounted and partially drilled.” According to the war time diary of one of his soldiers, L. H. Tenney, they were at Camp Wade until the end of November when they moved to Camp Dennison northeast of Cincinnati. (Pictured below) Colonel Doubleday had the freedom to travel around the area liberally during this time and courted the daughter of a prominent local businessman and Winous member, Leander Mead Hubby who was an “Arkite” and had served as an alderman during William Case’s tenure as Mayor of Cleveland in 1850 and ‘51. After six months on the war front and contention over leadership responsibilities, Doubleday would resign June 16th, 1862. According to discharge paperwork, he “provided a substitute” to serve out his enlistment. He would be married to Sarah Louise Hubby in September of that year. Another military-minded man present that day was Cd. Edward A. Scovill (an Arkite)who would lead the 128th Ohio Volunteer Infantry guarding Rebel POWs on nearby Johnson’s Island. (Pictured above right) Both Doubleday and Scovill would become members of Winous Point more than a decade after the war. Two more gentlemen preparing for a day on the marsh were O.N. Skeels and Joseph S. Weaver. At the time they were in the wholesale liquor and grocery business and may have helped set up supply lines for the camp provisions. O.N. Skeels was an “Arkite” and Winous member. Finally, also in the image is a founding club member, Herman M. Chapin. He was an “Arkite,” very good friends with the Case brothers, had raised money and equipment for the Union and had serious business and political ties to Ben Wade; it was Wade who brought Chapin into Cleveland politics. In August of 1865, Chapin returned from a 100-day enlistment with the 150th Infantry of the Ohio National Guard defending Washington D.C. in the closing days of the war. Three months later he was elected mayor of Cleveland, largely due to Wade. Benjamin Wade was such a powerful national politician of that time that he would have assumed the presidency if Andrew Johnson’s 1868 impeachment had succeeded. Decades later the Jeptha H. Wade family would become one of the most prominent families of Winous Point with uninterrupted membership since 1894. The two Wade families, though probably somehow related, were separated by opposing political leanings: Radical Republican vs. Democrat. Jeptha H. Wade had lived in Milan, Ohio for most of 1849 developing telegraph subscriptions throughout the region. It is possible that he met the local businessmen and bankers who were forming the WPSC. Otherwise, his later success in Cleveland establishing what would become Western Union Telegraph certainly put him within the country’s elite circle of sportsmen. that th at competes com ompe pet pe e with the beauty and form of these birds would woul wo u d be ul be the th preening pintail hen (see WP book, p.56) owned by “Arkite” and founding WPSC memtthat th hat at was wass o w berr Ge George b be G orge or ge Abraham Stanley (1818-1883) of Clevege land.Highlights land la nd.H nd .Hig .H igghl hlii of Vic Bracher’s notes on the bird: “A ppreening reeen niin n decoy with tack eyes and extremely fine free brus br brush ush us h painting p that outlines the wing feathers and blends ble ble bl into the gray ventral paint. A beautifully proportioned decoy that would be a rare addition to any museum or collection.” The remaining Stanley decoys are more Th prac pr practical acti ac tiica call than th h this delicate hen. One cannot rule out thee possibility th poss po sssib ibil ill that they were all by the same hand; the pintail p pi ntai nt aill hen ai hen being more of a “presentation” piece. They include in ncl clud udee te ud tteal, al mallards and black ducks, one of which is pictured pict pi ctur ct ured ur ed to to the left. The Daguerreotype Decoys The decoy superimposed on the 1861 clubhouse image (previous spread) is believed to be one of the seven decoys carefully placed in and around the punt boats and were created by an unknown carver. This 15” long, elegant black duck has an original, dry, thin painted surface. The head sits on a slight oval shelf, set back from the breast by about 2”. It has a pronounced brow, translucent glass bead eyes and cheeks that look to be filled with the wild rice of Sandusky Bay. There is a minimally carved transition from head to bill, carved nostrils halfway down and a modest incision suggestion the lower mandible. The carved water groove behind the head falls off to one side more than the other. Deep green/black painted wings. There is a slight ridge along the upper edge beginning halfway between the V and the tail. This ridge is most pronounced on the tail, forming a peak. The underside of the tail is spoon-like, with roughly gouged lines. On the less-weathered underside, you can see the inch long, wispy painted lines suggesting feathers. The bottom has an egg- shaped flat surface with an empty 2” round weight recess. The body is split in equal parts and hollowed. There is no outward evidence of the connecting method of the body halves or the head; very nice workmanship. The bird appears to be substantial, but is light in the hand. The only decoy It would be great if Stanley’s personal travels and business interests provided insight as to the maker of these fine decoys. At present, it does not. Stanley was born in 1818, the same year as William Case, and probably grew up with the Case brothers, as their fathers were contemporary early lawyers in Cleveland. He made his fortune primarily through “lard oil and candle works.” Pictured is his patent model for a lard cooling mechanism; if not done by his own hand, he obviously knew at least one good woodworker. Finally, Stanley married late in life to a Detroit woman with the t last name Foote. Both his children died early in life and without d an a heir to carry-on at Winous Point, some of his decoys left the props erty e and others were passed on and branded by other members. As an b example, a GAS Mallard drake exists e with w subsequent J. W. Harris and J. B. B Jackson brands. Two T more outstanding mallard drakes coming out of this club: The d first fi is marked in black paint “UKK – IS” – ownership and carver is unknown. (pictured on opposing page) The two-piece body is heavy, minimally hollowed, if at all. The form of this beadedeye bird is nearly as graceful as the 1861 Daguerrotype black duck. Its original paint and stylized brush strokes are superb. Black duck, bluebill and redhead by the same hand are known to exist. John Jo ohn hn H H.. Po P Porter ort rte ter cco-founded o-fo foun un nde ded tth the he Ch Char C Charles arle ar l s Davis les Davi Da avis vis & ComCom Co ompany pa ny meat mea eat (hog) eat (h (hog hogg) packing pack pa ckin ng house ho h ous use in in Cincinnati. Ciin nci cinn n atti.i He nn He his son, Bonsall, jjoined jo ined in e WPSC ed WPS P C in n 1875 1875 875 an 87 aand nd hi h is so on n,, B on nsa sall lll,, who who wh o was wass a wa world renowned wo orl r d re reno no ow wn need d geologist, geo olo loggiisstt, joined logi j in jo ned ed in in 1886. 118886 86. Th This iss llarge a ge ar g mallard mall ma llar arrd retains reeta tain tai ins ns its its original it orig or igiin naall paint pai aint nt with wiitth very verryy nice ve niicce detaildeta de tail iwell-constructed ing. in g. The The w ellel l-co cons nstr truc ucte ted head te ted head he ad d sits sit ittss sturdily stur st urdily dily di ly inside inssid ide de of of a notched head secured no n otc tche hed ov ooval val al sshelf. helf he elf lf. Th lf. Thee he h ead ad iiss sse eccu ure rred ed ed with wi w itth h a dowel dow wel e and and nd nails nai ails l driven drive iven ven into i tto in o each ea ch h side sid de of o the the neck. nec eck. k. It k. It has has ttack ack ack ac eyes, rimmed with yellow paint. eye ey es, ri es, rimm imm med dw itth ye yell llow ll low wp an ai ntt. hollow, piece It has hass a h ollo ol low, lo w, ttwo wo p ieccee body, ie bo od dy, y, and an nd is i light lig ight h in ht in the t e hand. th han ha nd d. A few feew w shot sh ho ot marks, ma ark rks, s, a ssmall mall ma lll rrectangular ecta ec tang ngullar ar recessed reces eceessse ec s ed lead weight and rattle when le ead w eigh ei ghtt aan gh nd a ra ratt att ttlee w hen sh he sshaken hak aken n complete Ohio bird. co omp mpleete this thi h s alto aaltogether, al lto toggeetth her er, impressive impr im pressssiive ve O hiio b h bird bi ird d. Next trio bird Ne N extt is is a tr tri io of io of canvasbacks. c nvvas ca asba b ck cks. s. The first firs fi rsst is rst is a ssinuous inuo in inuo uou uss b id ir and neck. has with a pinched with wi pin i ch ched ed breast bre reas reas astt an nd ne eck ck. k. IItt ha h as ta ttack ack ck eeyes yees an and and original finee orig fin fi or o riigi gin inal in a paint. pai aaint ain int nt. The The head heeead h ad d ssits i s up it upon pon n a ssmall mall mall ma l raised rai aised ise s ed circular pedestal. Its hard chine creates a relatively flat downward paddle tail. flat top fla top that tth hat a slopes sllo lop ope pes p es do d own o wnwa nward ard d tto oam modest o s pad odest p ad ddl d e ta tai aiill.l. The fl flattened flat atte at tene ned ed area arreeaa on on the the decoy’s d co de coy’ coy’ y s bottom bott bo ttom has has as “Chas. “Ch Ch has as. J. as. Clarke” Clar Cl arrke ke” e” brand b an br and d burnt burn burn bu rnt into into it it alongside alon alon o gs gsid id de the the lead th l ad le d strip str trip ip p weight. stylish bird. Charles Clarke wei e gh ht. t. It is is a sst ty tyl ylis ish bi ird rd.. C harl ha rlles es JJohn oh hn Cl C aarrke ke (1833 old when (183 (1 8 3 – 1899) 83 1899 18 99)) of of Pittsburgh Pittts tsbu bu urg rgh was wass 45 wa 445-years 5-y -yea e rs o ld w heen hee b became member off WP WPSC His ecc me a me ecam emb mber er o W SC C iin n 18 11878. 788. H is ffather athe at h r he had made operating Ohio had ma m ade de a ““comfortable co omf mfor forta orttable tabl ble fo ffortune” orrtu rttun u e”” o pera pe ratiingg O ra hio o River between Riiver steamships st mshi steam hips hi ps b ettweeen n Pittsburgh Piitttts tsbu b rg bu rgh h and aan nd Cincinnati. Ci Ci Cincinna natii. Charles his position work bankCh C har arle les increased les in ncr crea eased s ed h se hi is p po ossiiti t io on n tthrough hrou hrou hr ouggh hw orrk in ban ankking, ing, in g, insurance insur nssu urraan nce ce aand nd rrailroads. nd ailr ai illrroa roa oads d . He ds He had haad retired rreeti tire ire red ed in in 1874. 187 8744.. He He was waass also aallsso o one one ne of of the tth he founding ffo oun u di ding ng members Pittsburgh’s illmem mb b ber ers off P er itts it tsbu burg rgh’ h’s il lll-fated Fishing Huntffaate fate ted South Sou So utth Fork Fo orrkk F ish is hiingg aand nd dH un u nting Club. picturesque iin ng Cl Club C lub. ub u b. The The pi p iict ctur ct uresq essqu que la llake ake ke that tha hat the th he clubhouse overlooked was byy an club cl ubho house use o us ov ver veerrlook lo ooked okked o dw aass ccreated reat re ated ed b ed a aaging ggiiing ngg earthen ear arth then een n dam. May off 118 1889 wall daam. d m It It gave gav a e way w y in wa i M ayy o 8889 89 aand 89 nd n d tthe he rresulting he essulti ulting ul ting w alll al of of water wat ater terr kkilled ille il llleed 2,209 2 20 2, 2 9 residents resi re s de si dent nttss of of downstream down ow wns nstr trea eam ea m JohnJohn Jo h hn stown. stow st to ow wn. n The off Th only early member beer o Winous Point who W made his own m decoys was d apparently a Edmund G. Gardinerr E waalk lk, Ohio. Oh Ohio hio io.. (1844-1923) of Norwalk, H was the son of founding undi un ding ngg He m neerr. H is member John Gardiner. His g Gardi d ndi grandson, Charles B. Gardine gave Vic Bracher a ttour ourr of ou o er, t family’s historic home ho ome me and and nd the w xpl plai aine n d th that haatt workshop where he explained h grandfather made his own decoys. As described in his t 1975 inventory, they are rather “square in (cross) the s section and somewhat bulky.” Most feature a very u unique anchor line that is “pulled through a hole in the b body behind the head to withdraw the weight into a r recess drilled into the breasts; then the line is held in a “ groove in the tail after it has been wrapped around “V” the t neck and/or body” The old paint on the canvasback pictured has a very nice surface. The tack eyes are p ringed with yellow. r The final (pictured top of next Th fi fina naal canv ccanvasback ca nvassba nvas nv back back ckk decoy d page) branded paage p ge)) is is b raa ded “CC rand “CC Bolton.” The Bolton family has been an integral part of Winb ous Point for generations. The initial “C.C.Bolton” could refer to members back to 1896; Charles, m Chester Ches Ch este es teer and Castle. Prior to that there was a T. (Thomas?) K. Bolton member listed in 1879. The family has been in Cleveland since 1834. Lawyers, industrialists, bankers and politicians are all among its accomplished ranks. The bird has always been attributed to a local carver by the name of Fred Harris. Members, punters, carvers... the Harris arrri ris ris surname seems to be everywhere. Fred Harris was born in Bucyrus in 1876 and worked as a cook on a dr dredge d dred edge ed ge which, in 1910, was reinforcing the d dikes di ike kess around a carp pond along the bankss of of the the Portage River in Port Clinton. The proxpro roxximity to Winous Point is irrefutable aand nd n d the possibility that he did work on the dikes h d k at the h club l b is reasonable. This solid canvasback has a rectangular neck base, deeply carved bill/head transition, a lower mandible that is carved away, rusty tack eyes and a dowel that angles from the top of the head to the back of the neck. It was probably a sturdy workhorse on the marsh. There is no evidence that he was related to any of the Harris members. Two Harris members can be clearly identified: Stephen Ross Harris (1824-1905) whose membership started in 1870. He was an Ohio-born and Western Reserve educated lawyer, U.S. Congressman and mayor from Bucyrus, Ohio. Second, was New York-born and raised Colonel William Hamilton Harris (1838 – 1895) who became a member of Winous Point in 1875. No direct connection has been made between these two men, though their lives overlapped in family name “Harris”, Bucyrus and Winous Point. Colonel Harris’ life and Civil War service were remarkable. Born to a U.S. Senator from New York in 1838, n 18 1838 83388, he h ggraduated radu ra adu duat d a ed at ed with fellow classmate, George A.. Custer Cusste terr from from West Weesst Point in 1861 and immediately th tthereafter herrea eafte fterr fte commanded a section of artillery in the Battle of Bull Run. His expertise in ordnance was called upon throughout the bloody o y ody od war and continued afterwards un until nti tl 1870. He had married the daughter hter ht e of er of a successful Cleveland businessman in 1864 and after his military career, entered into her family’s iron, banking, railroad, steam shovel and dredging business interests with tremendous success. He was elected vice-president of Winous Point in 1881 and president in 1884. He maintained a very large rig of decoys consisting of canvasbacks and redheads with a typical one pictured at the bottom of the page. Members John Milton Hay and William Harris’ lives were entertwined. Both ended marrying Cleveland e de en ded up ded up m arry ryin ryin ingg C levvelan eland el and socialites whose fathers were off seve Harris’ father, were r co-owners cooo ow wne ners rs o rs sseveral everall railroads. rail rail ra il Senator Harris, sister, Clara Senaato Se Sena or Ir Iraa Ha arris rrris, si sist ster er,, C Cl lar a and brother-in-law, Henry H nr He n y Rathbone, R th Ra thbo bone n , we were re aamong mon mo ng President and Mary ng Lincoln’s closest friends. Liinc L ncol o n’’s cl ol losses estt fr rie iend nds. nd s. The Th young couple were the President’s guests at the Ford Pres Pr esid es id id Theater in April of 1865. Rathbone was critically wounded by Booth’s Bowie wo oun un knife. Clara Harris and knif kkn i e. if e. Both B John Hay kept vigil throughout the night with Mrs. Lincoln as the President slipped away. Even after physically recovering from his wounds, Rathbone ended up with catastrophic mental injuries culminat- ing in an attempted d murder-suicide d d in 1883. Clara died protecting her four young children. Rathbone’s suicide attempt failed and he spent the last decades of his life institutionalized. William and his wife raised the Rathbone children in Cleveland and later New York. In spite of the family drama, Harris’ leadership of the Bucyrus Steam and Shovel Company revolutionized earth moving, especially in regards to canals and railroads. The company grew at an astounding pace pace pa ce as ce a it supplied machinery to complete rail raaill lines around the world including the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1883 and N canal projects like the draining of the c Valley Vall Va lley ey of Mexico City in 1893. He moved ey the Ohio-based company to larger facilities thee O th Oh in South Sou uth th Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Winous ou us Point P int clubhouse was undoubtedly the Po epicenter epic ep icen ente en terr of the dreamers, entrepreneurs and te engineers who dared to dream of even bigger projects like a canal connecting the Pacific and Atlantic via Central America. For John Hay, it was the subject of successive Whitehouse administration underwhich he served. It was Ohio-born President Grant who first organized ani nize zed ze d a commission to research the project in 1869. The Th French usurped the initiative and in 1879 began dign di d gging a route through the Panama isthmus belonging nggin i g to t the Republic of Columbia. The manual-labor intensive nten nt nsi s ve v construction lasted about eight years and was plagued laggue ued ed by flooding and successive waves of dysentery aand nd yyelelel low fever claiming the lives of 20,000 men, mostly sttlyy from Jamaica. The entire enterprise failed and was wass abandoned by the French in 1888. When Theodore Roosevelt became president after fter er Ohio-born McKinley’s assassination, he asked JJohn ohn oh n Hay to stay on as Secretary of State. One of Roosevelt’s ossevvel osev eltt’ t’ss first declarations was his intent to construct thee ca canal. ana nal. Through complex financial, political and military ry mam ma neuvering a revolution conveniently occurred and nd the thee State of Panama won autonomy from Columbia. a. In 1903, Winous member, United States Secretary aryy of ar o State John Hay was pivotal in the negotiations which which h finally led to the United States’ undertaking of the he dangerous (ultimately another 5,000 lives) and costly cos o tl tlyy project. Hay was convinced that the United States ates at es was was in a position to succeed because of his duck hunting nti t ngg comrade William Harris and the Bucyrus Company. Harris died in 1895 and would never see the ultimate success of the Bucyrus Company as it provided 75% of the steam shovels used on the 48-mile project. The Panama Canal opened in 1914 and today, the Bucyrus Company is a celebrated part of the global earth-moving powerhouse Caterpillar. A literary tribute, perhaps from Hay, was sent from Winous Point to Harris’ classmates at West Point when they eulogized him in 1896: “An affectionate nature, great liberality, high culture, literaryy taste and acquirements, refinement from traveling, gentle manners, a good temper and tr ravve vanity. These qualities of his heart all without all al w always al lw wa a seemed to me to be due, in a large measure, su sur urree to his communion with nature, of which he was a close student, and it was a great he pleasure to be with him in an open boat p upon up p the waters of our hunting preserves and listen to the lessons which, without pretending to do so, he was unconsciously teaching… We have lost in his death a light and sweetness in our hunting season intercourse which cannot be easily replaced.” The final four decoys from Winous Point are all by unknown carvers and probably date back to the 1870’s: Thee m Th mellow el el black duck pictured to the left is best viewed to reveal the stately painted lines that run in daylight in day ayyl down do d ow wn n its top, suggesting feathers. The two-piece holis unique. The bottom makes up llow lo ow co cconstruction o two tw wo thirds th thi hi of its side profile. The top is more like a lid. Beneath B Be eneeat ath the deep original paint, one can see the faint ccircles ci irrrc rcle l s of le o the nine nail heads holding top to bottom. The crown cr ro ow wn iis flat without much cheek and nothing but paint delineating the bill. The head sits almost flush to the d de lline n at body with bo ody d w i a soft cornered rectangular footprint. It has behind the head. The bottom has a minimal a V groove groo groo o flat with an inch and a half recessed round lead fla at surface s rf su weight. we eigghtt. There are three small notches under the tail that may have ma ay ha av served to identify them in the club. next The n Th ex pinched-neck mallard drake seems to have a ssense se nsee of ns n o humor and may be a rare example of an old modified m mo odi d fie decoy for a sink box wing. The lumber on the bottom bot bo ttom ttt om is more recently exposed compared to the rest of well-aged bird. It has a circular weight with a “W” tthee we th w ll the lead and another repeated on the underccarved ca arrrvved d into i off tthe tail. His tack eyed head is very nicely carved sside si de o d and an d th thee neck flows like a skirt onto the slightly raised shelf. Loose strokes of paint mark out the wing patches sh shel hel elff L and tail feathers. This is a charming hollow blue-winged teal hen, with dry original paint that appears tortoise shell-like. The craftsman who painted this was careful to blend the wing patch where it went from blue to white. The head sits high upon a one inch round pedestal. It is proportioned nicely with tack eye The cheeks dive under the bill and very faint knife marks remain in that area. On the underside one can see the small nails holding together the body. It is weighted with an eighth inch thick, business card size sheet of lead secured with six nails. The bluebill drake has great appeal. The shape is quite unique. Flat top and sides with just enough wood carved away to make it work. The drake has boldly patterned paint, with lots of details. Yet it keeps to a muted palette of black, gray and white, all of which have been mellowed for over 100 years. It has beaded eyes on a low head. The cheeks are carved under the bills with no mandible or nostrils. Faintly written on the bottom of this decoy are the initials “MAS.” This does correspond with an early member by the name of M.A. Stearns in 1881. Because it seems to be a more contemporary remark than old, working identifier, it will remain an unknown until proven otherwise. Th O The Ottawa ttaw tt awa aw a Sho SShooting Sh hooti ting ngg C Club lubb lu Across Ac cro ross ss tthe ss hee b h bay ay ffrom r m Wi ro W Wininous ou us Po P Poin Point, oin nt, t Th The O Ottawa tta tawa w SShootho oot ototing in ng Cl Club began Club beg egan an n life lif ifee in n 11871 871 as tthe 87 he he “Hones “Hon “H on nes e Point Poi ointt Hunting Hu un nting tiing and and nd Fishing Fis i hing hing hi n driving force Club Cl ub of of Cleveland. Clev Cl Clev e ellan nd” d..” The d The dr driv ivvin ng fo forc rcee behind off th was b be ehi hind in nd d tthe h fformation he orrma mati tion on no thee club club bw ass German-born, Ge G erm rm man an-b bor o n, n Louis Lou uiiss SSmithnight miith mi thni hnigh igh ht (b ((b.. 18 11834). 834 34) 4)). He arrived in Cleveland in 1850 and clerked for a wholesale grocer for seven years before departing in 1858 on a quest for gold in the American west. With little to show for the effort, he returned to Cleveland and found success in the patent medicine and drugstore business. He had been among the first to enlist when President Lincoln called the north to arms. He moved up the ranks to Captain of the Cleveland Light Artillery and then led the 20th Ohio Battery mustered into service in October of 1862. Smithnight became famous as th the b f h man who captured the first Confederate cannon in the war. After three years, a fall from a horse ended his active combat. Through his continued involvement in the Ohio National Guard, he was eventually referred to as “Colonel Smithnight.” He returned to his drugstore business and recuperated his health. In the spring of 1868 he led the first of many hunting and fishing trips with fellow veterans and businessmen to a favorite camp spot on the southwestern edge of the bay. In 1871, an association of seventy-one men formed the club, with Smithnight as its first president. Its first officers included G. M. Barber, VP; O. B. Perdue, Secr.; D. H. Keys, Treasurer; J. Laisy, Surgeon; D. Price, Quartermaster. It was renamed “The Ottawa Hunting and Fishing Club” in 1879 and eventually owned roughly 3,000 acres. -History of Sandusky County, Ohio: With Portraits and Biographies of Prominent Citizens and Pioneers, H.Z. Williams & Bro., 1882. The map to the left comes from an 1 1874 Sandusky County atlas and shows the Christopher Hones property adjacent to not C only on nly l the th he recently formed hunt club, but also parcel n m nu mb ber e 27 referred to as the “Old Hunting and Fishing number Club Cl lub..” Further Fu Club. examination of the adjoining township to the the he south so to suggests that E.B. Sadler (WPSC) and a B. Kline Kline) were likely landowners... thus Kllin inee (Barnhart ((Ba “The “Th Thee Old Old Club probably refers to Winous Point. O Two Two notable nota early names in the club were the White n and an nd Riddle Ridd Ri d families. The Thomas H. and Walter B. White Whit Wh itee fo ffortune was built upon White Sewing Machines and later the White Automobile company. The Riddle Company dates back to 1831 as award-winning carriage makers in Ravenna, r Ohio. The Riddles specialized O in horse-drawn hearses and ambulances. They transia tioned into the motorized era ti mostly through a partnership m with w the White family who built their chassis. Club memb ber b Thomas J. Riddle, born in n 1847, had learned wood carving and ornate carriage c making in his early teens and m eventually oversaw a shop full e of o artisans. A fire in 1890 destroyed the clubhouse along with twenty year’s worth of early club documents. Undoubtedly, this accounts for the rarity of decoys associated with the club. Club member Frank Bowen Many (b. 1860) Energine Refining & Manufacturing Co. and the Canton-Cleveland Brick Co.gave readers a glimpse into opening day at the Ottawa Club in a fall, 1900 issue of Forest and Stream. (Vol. 55, p.447-448) “On Friday night we drew cuts for position.” Smithnight was respectfully given first choice and opted for the “upper end of Big Pond.” The other members included Rollin C. White, Sewing Machines, Ball Bearings and Real Estate (1837-1920) , John J. Flick, Dressed Beef Packer(1843-1914), James O’Hara Denny, Pittsburgh Capitalist, O’Hara Gas Works, Charles P. Ranney, Commercial Pursuits, Isacc Reynolds, Valley Railway General Manager, Arthur Odell, Cleveland Banking/Abstractor. “We were called at 3:00 o’clock and had breakfast at 3:30 and took the naptha launch down the Sandusky River, dropping each man and his punter as we passed his location.... I stayed back in the bushes a couple hundred feet from the pond until about daylight, when the ducks arose in two great flocks (at least a thousand) at the sounds of shots fired in the lower marshes a couple of miles below me.... In about the first ten minutes I had nine ducks on the water dead... I only sat out four decoys, mallards, and had my punter set up the dead ducks which are fine decoys.” by the end of the day the author had bagged 57 mallards, three pintails, one widgeon and one spoonbill. Combined, the members shot 337 birds that opening day. The rare decoys that have survived from this club include the blue and green-winged teal drakes (below) with the “BB” brand for club member Bernard Blee (1847-1907) date ca. 1870. Bernard Blee was born into a large Irish family in 1842. The family was in the grocery business in East Cleveland. Known as “Barney”, he followed an older brother, Robert, into the railroad business becoming a conductor by 1880. His brother became mayor of Cleveland in 1893 after successfully branching out into insurance and banking. He had a comfortable residence on Euclid Avenue. Unfortunately, very little has surfaced about Barney, the owner of the decoys. The birds were subsequently painted with the intitials RHN which may have been Rider Herman Neff. They are small, flat birds in original paint, with tack eyes and are best described as being of the “Philadelphia School.” The maker may be unknown, but work from this hand is well-known to Ohio collectors. In our “2007 Ohio Decoy Calendar” there was a green winged-teal on the cover that was a rigmate to the drakes. There are black ducks with Blee’s brand. The same carver also did pintails, as evidenced by one tthat was eventually branded by th JJohn Jo ohn hn Alexander A Hadden, Sr. (1886-1979). He was a Har((1 18886 vard vva ard d eeducated lawyer, veteran aand nd active in the Republican Party. A common theme Pa P among these decoys is the a highly higg stylized “R” carved hi h in the t bottoms of them. There were Th The re w ere se sseven v n “R” family names in ve the 1871 membership. The aforementioned, Thomas Riddle is a front-runner in likely sources for these decoys because of his personal history in fine-woodworking and the availability of professional wood carvers and painters in his carriage shops in Ravenna, Ohio. DeMars Point Hunting and Fishing Club This club is located outside of Port Clinton and was first incorporated in August of 1882 (as noted on page 11 of the club history and Ohio Secretary of State records, 1882, p.131) by Fremont business and professional men. Officially it was re-incorporated in March of 1883 as a Fremont establishment and it is this date that the club officially recognizes. Denoting its place along the Sandusky River, Fremont was referred to as “Lower Sandusky” up until 1849. The clubhouse is located about ten miles northeast of Fremont on land that had originally been settled by a FrenchCanadian “squatter” family by the name DeMars. It is situated on Mud Creek, only miles from the Winous and Ottawa Clubs. Generations of the DeMar family have been dedicated punters for all the area clubs. Among its fifty founding members was Jay Alvin Higbee (1845-1901), its first president. He had served as a Corporal in the Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. He and his father had run a successful milling operation between Bellevue and Monroeville and had entered into the “wheat” business in Fremont. Shortly after the club formed, Higbee struggled with financial and legal setbacks. This is mentioned to provide a possible explanation of the dueling incorporation dates and to account for his total absence thereafter in the club. He died just seven years later at the Soldier’s Home in Sandusky. Other charter members included Charles Thompson (Herbrand Co.), William Hocke (The Tell House Hotel), Edwin B. Smith (Attorney), Horace Stephen Buckland (Attorney), William B. Kridler Jr. (Insurance), Christian Stausmyer (Drug & Jewelry Store), Andrew Moos (Saloon Keeper) and John Linde Greene (Attorney.) The most famous founding member of the club was the 19th President of the United States, Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893). (pictured left) He was born in Delaware, Ohio, educated in law at Harvard, located in Lower Sandusky (Fremont) for four years before establishing a successful law practice in Cincinnati. He felt a strong calling to serve the Union cause at the outbreak of the Civil War. He was a fast-rising leader in the 23rd Ohio Infantry and within the Republican Party. He was wounded four times including a severe injury during the Battle of South Mountain in 1862. By the end of the war he had attained the rank of Major General. Remarkably, he won his first of three terms in Congress while still in active service and without campaigning. He was Governor of the State of Ohio for three terms as well. He narrowly won the presidential election in 1876 and vowed that he would serve only a single term, freeing him up to make cabinet appointments and decisions in office which were decidedly independent in nature. He had only been out of the White House for two years when the DeMar’s Club was founded. In 1884 he served as secretary/treasurer and the club has many handwritten meeting minutes by Hayes. An 1885 inventory of the club’s assets included 83 decoy ducks. One of the few that survived and found its way onto the collector market is a stately goose, by an unknown carver which was owned by Christian G. Stausmyer (1847 – 1920.) The decoy (right) mea- sures 24” from bill to tail, 10” wide and has a distinctive angular neck. Its breast is moderately pinched and has a two-piece, hollow constructed body. The black glass bead eyes were ringed with paint. It is a combination of original and old working repaints. Mr. Stausmyer had this bird branded “CGS” three times on the bottom and once on the underside of tthe h bbill. he i l.. il Founding member Horace Stephen Buckland and an unknown carver black duck from his rig. Stausmyer was a native of ru rural ura rall SanS nSa dusky County but moved tto Fremont o Fr Frem em mon ontt in 1872. He owned and operated perraateed the th he Strausmyer Drug & Jewelry Store. ry Stor St tor o e. e (History of Sandusky p. 915) 15) 5) He took “an extended tour through Germany, England and France in 1878 and attended the Paris riss ri Exposition.” When he returned urn ur n d ned ne he married the daughter of a pharmacist he had trained d ununun der in nearby Elmore, Ohio. Hee io io. o. H represented the Democratic ticc Party Par arty ty on the city council by 1909 and twice led the city as mayor. He was in that office when the city suffered a devastating flood in 1913. He and his wife were close friends of President Hayes’ son (Webb) and daughter-in-law. The “Hyphen” schooner built in 1861 in Milan, Ohio; “The Big Four” Railway brochure; New York Central Rail Station on Sandusky’s waterfront. Toussaint Shooting Club The “Tous Saint” Shooting Club was incorporated in 1885 by a group of Cleveland businessmen. The story of their twice-a-year schooner voyages to the mouth of Snipe Creek (and the Toussaint River) harkens back to the Winous Point founding story 29 years prior. The name of the modest river has been attributed to several different explorers and missionaries. One dated 1725 with Fathers Gabriel and Isaac and the other a Frenchman by the name Etien Brule who came to North America with the Champlain expedition. In that account he was the first white man to visit the shores of Lake Erie around present day Toledo and on Nov. 1, 1615, he “put ashore at the mouth of a slow moving stream” which he named Tous Saint (All Saints) in honor of its day of discovery. The Toussaint is located about halfway between Sandusky and Toledo and would have been within the Great Black Swamp. The club encompasses 1,350 acres. The federal government made the club an offer “they couldn’t refuse” in order to expand nearby ordinance and rifle training facility; Camp Perry. Because access to the lakefront clubhouse had been cut-off by the land sale, the building w successfully moved was n nearly two miles over t frozen marsh in the the w winter of 1919. A Among the seven men w signed the incorwho p porating documents f the Toussaint Club for w 63-year old, Rufus was K. Winslow, the Great L Lakes shipping magnate w was also a foundwho i member of Winous ing Point. His daughter h married John R. had Chadwick (1855-1926) w was also among the who i incorporating men. Not m much has been found o Chadwick aside from on h owning some interhim e in the Winslow shipests ping business. The other five men were Sylvester J. Miller (b.1828) who was listed as an “Oil Agent” in the census of 1870. His wealth had grown tremendously in oil and varnish manufacturing by the time he built his mansion on Euclid Avenue in 1881. Dudley Baldwin Jr. (1851-1915) spent his life in the iron and steel business. His father had made a fortune in early Cleveland banking and railroads and had been a contemporary of D. W. Cross (WPSC). Jacob Atlee Beidler (1852-1912) of Willoughby, Ohio was president of the Rhodes & Beidler Coal Co and Vice President of the Cleveland, Painesville and Eastern Railway Company. He was second generation in the coal business. He later established a dairy farm outside of Willoughby, Ohio in 1881 and bred champion Holstein-Friesians and was president of the Belle Vernon-Mapes Dairy. A Republican, he represented Ohio in congress from 1901 to 1907. Norman A. Gilbert was born in Iowa in 1846. He served in the Civil War for three years and was a prisoner of the Confederacy. He was admitted to the bar in 1867 and established himself in Marysville, Ohio. He moved to Cleveland in 1871 and was practicing law in Cleveland at the time the club was formed. He was a Republican and member of the city council. According to his autobiography, he was exceedingly dedicated to the development of Cleveland public schools. He retired to rural Bristolville, Ohio and died in 1911. Finally, a “J. A. Smith”, who may or may not be General Jared Augustine Smith (1840-1910). General Smith was a well-traveled sportsman and Civil War veteran and an extraordinary hydraulic engineer with strong ties to Cleveland and Lake Erie’s shoreline, rivers, harbors and lighthouses. Most early members were from Cleveland but also one from New Philadelphia, one from Cambridge and one from Steubenville. A list of pre-1900 members include: T. S. Farley (‘86), Eugene H. Perdue (‘86), William James Rattle (‘86), William Perry Horton (‘87), Horace A. Bishop (‘87), J. M. Gorham (‘87), K. D. Bishop (‘87), Hugh Huntington (‘87), John Huntington (‘87), Benjamin S. Cogswell (‘90), Dallas Elliott (‘93), A. W. Brown (‘93), A. Beyer (‘94), Thomas C. Goss (‘94), Sylvester M. Neville (‘97), J. J. Gill (‘97), and George C. Steele (‘99). For decoy collectors, the name David B. Day (18641947) is synonymous with the Toussaint Club. He was an 1888 University of Michigan Law School graduate and practiced in Canton, Ohio. He became a member of the club in 1905. He was very good friends with fellow Cantonites, W. R. Timkens (Timken Ball Bearing Co.) and Herbert W. Hoover, Sr. (Hoover Vacuums.) Many of his birds have survived along with his impressive hunting journal which was featured in the club history. He had a reputation as the best duck caller known. His writing is quite enjoyable including accounts of a few of the club’s dogs having a bad habit of retrieving wooden decoys instead of downed ducks. One of the most famous rig of decoys that came out of the club in the 1970’s, were the Hanke and aand Hoover Hoo er rigs Ho rig i s by b ElEl mer m Crowell. According to Delph’s New England Decoys, page 107 Hanke D was w an early owner of the th Boston Red Sox. No club made onee with on with h the the shooting sho h ottin ho ingg cl lu ub bm ad that assertion, it was added to the bird’s provenance later. With current technology, this identification must be re-evaluated. There is nothingg in the baseball club’s recorded historyy that references any “Hanke. Future should ny “H Han anke ke.” Fu ke” ke. ke Fut Futu ture ture ree rresearch esearch esea es eaarch h sh shou ould ould ou ld d probably follow two tw wo other otheer clues… ot othe clue cl u s… According ue Acco Ac co ord rdin ingg to Joe in Tonelli, the club Cr Crowells were excluC owel ow ellls l w erre ex xcl clu usive to Hoover and Hanke. nd dH anke an kee. ke. Perhaps a connection, beyond their membership, can n be made between n those men: Canton, busito on, n, b u ius ness or politics? Another possible lead, taking into account wealth, social connectivity and age, might be Dr. Milton Theodore (M. T.) Hanke from Chicago, Illinois. He collaborated with the Chicago Dental Research Club for some of his ground-breaking discoveries including the chemistry of dental caries published in 1933. The Toussaint Club has been the home of at least three accomplished dentist/researchers/inventors; Dr. Herbert F. Harvey (1850- 1929) and Dr. William Perry Horton (1823-1923) and his son, Dr. William P. Horton (18531909). Though there will always be a great deal of mystery surrounding early Ohio decoys, the state has plenty of well-known carvers. Ned John Hauser (1826-1900) has been cited as the father of Ohio decoy carving. Though certainly the earliest known and quite remarkable in form, he did not necessarily exert a great influence on other carvers in the area. As an example, Hartung and Hauser co-existed in the same city and probably in and around the t same marshland, especially with them both being of o German-descent and two of Hauser’s boys, John and a Willie (William) were the same age as the Hartung brothers. But the decoys have little in common. The b source for much of Hauser’s biography is a collection s of o mostly German language personal papers housed with w the Western Reserve Historical Society. “John Hauser (1826-1900) was a German immigrant to “ “J Sandusky, Ohio, who worked with the Sandusky, Mansfield & Newark Railroad as a master painter. He also served with the 145th Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the American Civil War…” The collection of papers apparently end about the same time that he left the railroad and tried his hand at running a saloon in town according to the 1880 census. His obituary from 1900 is one of the few places that his name is spelled out as Ned John Hauser. J In I Decoys - A North American Survey by Kangas, 1983, Hauser’s carving period was estimated to be 1850 to 1880, being bein be i g interrupted briefly during in the Civil th he C Ci i War and again late in life with health. The Canvasw th wi h failing f back with “HEB” carved on baackk Drake, Dr the the bottom b tttom bo om is a striking example of his extraordinary workmanship; two equal part exxtr trao aord ord din iinar a y wo ar hollow construction, carved eyes, vertical dowels, lead sheet weights, rounded breasts and a distinctive Roman nose. William “Bill” T. Enright (1913-1979) Toledo, OH This well-documented hunter/carver has been featured twice in Decoy Magazine (Jan/Feb 2007 & 2008) and examples of his work have appeared in a number of books. He was one of the experts called upon to help Vic Bracher identify the decoys at Winous Point Shooting Club. He was a salesman in Toledo, but supplemented his income and hunting with the serious manufacturing of d decoys ecoy ec oyss in his oy his basebas a ement for three dec decades. ecade ad des.. Enright En nrrig i ht hunted throughout the region and visited many nyy of the clubs on La Lake L akee Erie to repair and d repaint i t their decoys. He also enjoyed hunting with friends in the Cincinnati/ Ohio River vicinity. His decoys are proudly oud dlyy blue-collar; b ue bl ue-c -col o la ol lar; r; they the heyy were w re crafted we cra rafte fted to to bee effective effeecct eff ctiv tiive iivve tools t ols to tool ols for fo or the t e hunter. th hunt hu ntter nter eer.. This This ap Th aapproach proa pr oach oa ch was was rreinforced eiinf nfor orce ced ce d after after aft he won National h w on n a 11948 948 94 48 Na Nati tion ti on nal Decoy Dec ecoy oy Maker’s New York Maake k r’ r’ss Contest Co ont n esst in nN ew Y orkk or City Ciity t with wit ith h his his pintails. pint pi n ails nt aiils. He H disd di smissed mi m iss is ssed ssed many off ma m any n o the tth he other othe ot h r he ccompetition co mpet mp etit et ittiio itio on birds being b bi rdss as b rd eing ei ngg unsuited u un unsu nsuit su uit ited ed d for for or the the rigors ri igo gors of gors of the th he gunny gu unn ny sack ssa acckk and and n marsh. mar arsh sh h. Enright E nri nri righ gh ht worked work wo rked ed pripriimarily with mari ma r lyy iin ri n co cork rkk w itth pi pine n ne heads. Hiss de decoys head he aad ds. s. Hi H deco co oyyss were wer eree vvery ve erry ry uniform, uni nifo nifo form rm,, varying rm vary va ryyin ingg only throughon o nly slightly sli ligh gh htl t y th hro r ugghout lifetime. With ou ut his his li life feti feti time me.. W me ith it hiss bu business backh hi usiiness neess b a kac gground, gr ound ou nd d, he h ffound ound ou nd d his pintails h hi is pi pint ntai aiils l vvery erry appealing to buyers after 1948 if he signed them with the contest results. They were certainly of the same design and detail, but were not necessarily THE winning winn wi n ing pair. nn paair. p ir His ir His out-of-the-ordinary ou birds biird b rdss include in ncl clud de so ssome me miniatures (Engers me 2002), his 2002 20 02), 02 ) h is ssolid wood Queen is Anne’sHunt Club (WalAnne An ne’ss pole po ole le Island, Canada) sleeping canvasback slleee slee and aan n his cork calling black duck pictured b below. belo be b lo ow. Captain Capt Ca pta pt ain Adam ai Adam Hartung Har artu t ngg (1860-1909) tu (18 1860 60-1 60-1 60 - 90 909) 9 Sandusky, San a du dusk skky, y Ohio. Ohio. hio. o Hartung Fire Captain carved Hart Ha rtun un ng was was a Sa wa SSandusky ndus nd usky us ky F iree Ca ir C ptain pt n wh who o cca arvved da large larg la rgee rig rg rig off decoys dec ecoy oyys for for himself hims hi m el ms e f and an friends. frie fr ieend n s. s It I is is asassumed off hi fellow firefighters with su ume med d th that at llike ikee many ik maany o hiss fe fell lllow w fi fire reefig fight hter ht ers er rs wi w th h varvar aious hobbies, passed ious h obbi ob bies bi es,, he es he p asse as seed th thee ti time me bbetween me eettwe tween weeen n fi fire ree aalarms larm la rm ms with wiith carving car arvi v ng and vi and d painting paint nttin ingg decoys. decco deco oys y. A more look bee fo found moree tthorough h ro ho ou uggh lo ook aatt his his work hi work ccan wo an b an foun u d in un n the off De Decoy Magazine. His the Nov/Dec Nov/ No v/De v/ Deec 2012 2012 1 issue iss ssue sue o Deco co oy Maga M Ma agazine zine ne.. H is decoys deco de co oys are are r easily eas asil ilyy recognizable reco re ecogn cogn gniz izab iz ab blee with wit ith h their th heiir tradetrad tr ad demark His canvasbacks, markk rrumps. ump um ps. Hi ps. H iss wo work rk iincluded nclu nc lu uded ca canv nvas nv a ba as back ckks, cks black ducks, bills. blac bl ackk du ac duc cks, rredheads ck ed edhe dhe head adss and ad an nd bl blue u b i ls il ls. (Pictured (Piicttur ured ed d on the also thee ffollowing ollowi ollo ol w ngg page.) wi pag age. e.)) There Ther Th ere ar er aaree al lso sseveral e eral ev a pairs p ir pa irss of over-sized overr-si siize zed d mallards maall m l ar a ds d from fro r m his h s rig. hi rig. ColCollCo lectors lect le ctor ct orss had or haad the tth he opportunity o po op port rtun rt un nit ityy in early ear a ly l 2012 20112 att the the Grea Gr eatt Lake ea Laake k Show Sho how in Westlake, how Wesstlak tllak ake, e, Ohio e, Ohio to o bid bid on on Great deco de oys that th haat came caame m tto o au uct c io ion n di d rect re ctly ct ly from ly fro rom m the the HarHaardecoys auction directly tungg family. fam amil illy. ily. y Captain Caapt p ai a n Hartung Hart Ha rttun ung suffered ung ssu uffe ff reed a serious seri se riou ri o s ou tung injury while the fall inju in jury ju ry w hile hi lee responding respo esspo pon ndin ndin nd ingg to t a fi fire r iin re n th he fa all of of 1908 19088 and and di died ed a few few months mon o th thss later late la terr in te n March Mar arch ch of of 1909. 1909 19 099. Frank James Noe (1881–1960) Columbus, Ohio was featured in a Decoy Magazine article Nov/Dec 1992. Much of the very detailed information came from another famous central Ohio carver, arvver er,, “Buckeye” “Buc “B u ke keye keye y ” Joe Joe Jo Wooster who was a personal friend. couple off im ien end. A co oup ple o im-portant additions to the previously usslly published biography are his early years as general carpenter and his primary vo vocation voca cati tion n as as a barber. Noe was born into a llarge arg rgee workwork wo rking class family in 1881. He spent the majority of his life in a neighborhood northeast of downtown Columbus, us, just across present dayy I-71 from the Ohio State Expo Center (Fairgrounds) He married Teresa Kiesewetter in about 1906 and had a son and a daughter. In 1914 he was mentioned in a Sunday Columbus Dispatch article about his unique side occupation of “designer of flies and deceiver of fish.” According to his 1918 draft WWI draft card and 1920 census, Noe’s primary income in nco omee was ass from house carpentry. rpent n ryy. By By 1930, he had opened peneed a pe barbershop in th the he front room of the family home at 1434 Cleveland Avenue with dA veenu n ew wi ith a nearby Bonham Avenue am A Av ven nuee adaddress by 1945. The Hale/KenTh H a e/ al e/Ke Ken Ke nnedy article drew ew w attention atte at tent ntio io on to o the interurban light ligght rail rai a l that that ran ran between Columbus mb bus us and and n NewNew ew-ark with an important po orttant an nt stop stop st op p aatt an a amusement park at “Buckeye Lake”, a canalera, man-made reservoir which was converted into a 4,000 acre park in 1894. The railway, which ran until 1956, turned this former swamp into a duck hunting paradise for central Ohio sportsmen like Noe. Using his carpentry skills, he became a prolific decoy and call carver. His outstanding tiger maple calls (pictured on last page) that are highly sought after by call collectors. His decoys have cork bodies with folky, angular heads. He experimented with a many different materials through the years including a thin, lead-lined steel sheet which covered the bottom board. These sheets sh heeeets t may m have been scrap material he obtained taain need d from the Belmont Casket Co. on the north side of downtown Columbus. n R. R E. Amstutz, a fellow Buckeye Lake duck hunter worked for the company, d retiring reti re tiri ti r ngg as ri a its treasurer. Many mallards, black ducks and d ck du ckss aan n bluebills have survived. Pictured below belo be l w iss a very rare ruddy duck. lo Noe died in January of 1960 in Licking County, Ohio, which would have put him on the north shore sho sh o of Buckeye Lake. Historic property records are difficult to search around the lake because most of diffi di ffi the properties were leased or rented, not owned. City the p directories continue to have him living and working in diirec Columbus as late as 1945. Reg Vicary (1903 - 1983) Rossford, Ohio. The collector who first bought these decoys from the family f in i the mid-1980’s had h only a quick oral o history from an an older sister-inlaw: and laaw llaw w:: “carved “ hunted over by Reg Vickery of Rossford, Ohio. O ” Vickery is tthe he name of a small just three smal sm alll town t miles miilees south sou of Sandusky Bay and for three decades Bay aan nd fo seemed seeem seem emed ed to to be b the most likely l ke li kely ly spelling spelllin ing even though no records o ccensus ensu en su us rre eco ord rdss ccould ou be found. After contacting possible descendents in the Rossford area and discovering his name in a primary source associated with a hunt club, we can confidently identify his proper name and life details for the first time. Reginald Wilfred Vicary was born in England and came with his family first to Canada, then, in 1924 to the Toledo suburb of Rossford, Ohio. He worked as a machinist and operator in the auto glass manufacturing industry. In 1941 he was a member of the Ross Rod and Gun Club. Although he was not yet an official citizen, he enlisted and served in the Army in November of 1942. He married later in life, after the war, was widowed and married again in 1961. He had no children by either marriage. Vicary decoys are distinctive; with an erect posture, smooth surface and precise paint. They are large (18” tail to bill) solid-bodied canvasback and mallard pairs. (Pictured above) The canvasback drake has matte glass eyes, a dark brown red head, the cheeks are cut under the edge of the bill, carved nostrils and mandible; The fine pinstriped lines forming the wings, guided Vicary as he added subtle shades both dark and light for contrast. “The Ross Rod and Gun Club of Rossford is doing its bit to furnish good hunting…The club recently released 120 Missouri cotton-tail rabbits in Wood County and four members of the club, Reg Vicary, Louie Hanselman, sel elma man, ma n, Joe Goblinec and Mike Knurek purchased and d released rel e ea elea e seed 25 jack rabbits from Oklahoma… Jack Bruss, just jus ust about the best maker of duck decoys in this area, has gone in for carving flying ducks out of old telegraph poles… Jack has just completed a fine wooden mallard, life size, wings ings ngs gs outspread and all and expects to present it to tthe he he Ross Rod and Gun Club as a bit of decoration n ffor oorr tthe hee clubroom. - Toledo Blade February 10, 1941 John Jo hn n “Jack” “Ja ack” ckk” F Fr Frederick re Rider (1881-1967) IIdeally Id eall ea llyy located loca cattted between the Portage River, Sandusky ca and Lake Erie, Port Clinton, Ohio has always been Bayy an Ba nd La akke E known for its perch and walleye-rich waters. Rider was born in 1881 when the city had just over 2,000 inhabitants. Like most boys in the area, he grew up hunting and fishing and attended school only through the 8th grade. In 1900, the tall, dark-haired young man briefly worked as a farm hand for the Humphrey family. In 1904 he married Bertha Lindsley, whose mother was a Humphrey, and had two sons, Hugh and Vernon. He lived his entire adult life in a modest home on Jefferson Street but also owned a 100-acre marsh a few miles out of town. Jack operated the municipal water plant for 50 years. His first wife died in 1928. He remarried Caroline Winter about four years later and had one son, Frank. Jack’s middle son, Vernon, lived next door with his wife. The father and son duo spent many hours on the family marsh hunting. Wonderful black and white photos not only show the bounty of their hunts, but also the Rider decoys which they hunted over. In contrast to his hunting decoys which date back to his early adulthood, Jack Rider’s miniature decoy story started in 1950 at the age of 69. According to a 1965 article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Jack was disappointed by the quality of a miniature decoy he had purchased through mail-order out of a sportsman’s magazine. So, he put a block of pine into his garage workshop’s vice and after a couple of hours, had a “fair reproduction” of a mallard body. His first few miniature decoys were given to hunting buddies in the area, but soon he was operating a serious garage-based decoy business, selling miniatures as “far away as Massachusetts, Illinois and New York.” He was completely self-taught and used Audubon’s “Water Bird Guide” for models and painting reference. He created most every species of duck which migrated through the area along with crows, gulls and a great horned owl which is considered by many to be his singular greatest work. Pictured below is a watch gander and a rare pair of his wigeons. His decoys are truly pieces of mid-century folk art and his colorful miniatures are downright joyful. In 1967, after Jack’s death at the age of 85, Vernon preserved his father’s carving patterns, tools, decoys and numerous calls. Years later he almost single-handedly introduced his father’s work to the decoy collecting world by setting up a table at the Ohio and Pointe Mouillee shows. When Vernon died in 1983 the family decoys, along with all the tools and patterns were sold at a large auction. Decoy collectors, Brett Staschke and the late Bryan Fidler did a tremendous job of researching and preserving Rider decoy history and a complete review of his decoys is in the works. Conrad Jacob Klopping (1894-1985) Toledo, Ohio. Conrad Klopping was born in Toledo, attended public school through the 8th grade and then went to work in the family business. His father (A.C.) was an accomplished tinkerer; he received a patent on a heating stove; the inner mechanisms of a sleeper-sofa and a on a lever grip. Early on the family ventured into a bicycle repair shop but the core of the business was tinsmithing the installation of furnaces, stoves and roof flashing. By 1932 the family business successfully grew into a large, fullfledged design and manufacturer of custom stamped metal products located just east of the University of Toledo. Conrad, the decoy carver, remained single and lived in the family home on Michigan Avenue in a Toledo working class neighborhood, just six blocks away from the Maumee River. In 1946 the family sold the business and at the age 52, he was able to retire comomfortably, living out his days quietly in the family home ome me and in a summer residence on Edgewater Drive, just ustt over the state line in Point Place, Michigan. Accordrding to his great nephew, he hunted all his life and spent ssp pen ent ent many years going on great duck hunts up into Michichi higan with his father and older brother, Milton (18878771973). He endeared himself to the neighborhood kki kids ids ds in Point Place with endless hours of the card gamee Canasta. The large rig of decoys Conrad made for the family are immediately recognizable with their extremely low, wide bodies. As noted on page 118 in the Great Lakes Decoy Interpretations book by Kangas, 2011, Klopping decoys have two head styles; less; “resting low heads and alert high heads.” As expected cteed from a tool and die maker, his branding is bold and uniform. Joseph “Buckeye Joe” P. Wooster (1934-2008) of Ashley, Ohio is worthy of the label “enigma.” Born in Columbus in 1934, he was a soldier; a trained artist; was renowned as a mischievous but dedicated outdoorsman; was an unbeatably good marksman; and finally, a haphazard perfectionist. No description would be complete without acknowledging his trademark long gray beard and bell-shaped calabash pipe. Wooster started carving decoys from cork as a young boy, hunting along the Scioto River. While recuperating from his Korean War knee injury in the early 1950s, he started sketching ducks and patterns for decoys and further honed his skills with formal art training at the Columbus College of Art & Design. A decade later he left his job as an industrial artist to pursue duck carving full time. He was a staple at decoy shows, winning major competitions from 1969 to at least 1978, and was recognized during his lifetime as one of the world’s best carvers. With his talent, Wooster was able to replicate the essence of a duck without being a slave to every feathery detail. Even with this simplicpli l city, he was torn between hunting and decoorative decoys. The decoratives were winning ingg contests and providing income for his family, yet he always wanted to remain authentic to the needs of the hunter. His admiration for the relatively crude Noe cork decoys in his well-used hunting rig speaks to the value he placed on function over form. Buckeye Joe died at the Ohio Veteran’s Home in 2008. A wonderfully carved and painted merganser is below. “Joe was a master decoy carver and wildlife artist. An author, storyteller and consummate duck hunter, Joe’s love of nature spurred his passion for decoy carving. Joe’s creative and distinctive style of carving has placed him among the most renowned national and international artists worldwide. His carvings have been displayed in numerous museums across the country including the Smithsonian Museum of Art.” – Obituary 2008 Ending with Buckeye Joe Wooster is fitting. He was so passionate about decoys because they represented a splendid collision of nature, hunting, art and interesting people. He mentored some of this generation’s best competitive carvers and supported the collector’s efforts to preserve and celebrate decoys oyys from f om fr m the the h past. passt. t There is much work yet to be done; mu much more bee m uch hm oree to b or discovered. The list of known Ohio carvers, especially ciall llyy from the early part of the 20th century ry iss quite long: Bracher, Bruss, Clemons, Crookes, Davis, Gensman, Going, Gulau, Hurrell, McInnis, Meyer, Redding, Restle, Schell, Sharon, Steiger, Stotz and Yundt. Some produced hundreds of decoys and others only large personal rigs. Some are complete mysteries like the outstanding “Pepper” canvasbacks (above) with mortise and tenon inserted bills, discovered in Rocky River, Ohio. What is certain is that birds from all these Ohio carvers and clubs will migrate through the rooms and auctions in years to come. It is our hope that collectors will more readily identify them, thus preserving and celebrating the fascinating lives behind them. Beyond the decoys and clubs, we wanted to highlight the contribution of manufacturers and artists to the rich legacy that is Ohio waterfowling. Edmund Henry Osthaus (1858-1928) Born in Germany in 1859, Edmund Osthaus studied painting at at the the he Royal Academy in Dusseldorf. In In 1883, Osthaus came to the United d States State taa es and settled in Toledo. Soon thereafter, was ft r Osthaus O th hired as the principal of the Toledo Academy of Fine Arts. After seven years, Osthaus resigned from his position, deciding to paint full-time. Osthaus had a passion for hunting and fishing, which became the subjects of a majority of his works. Above j all, all, he al h was most prolific in the subject of hunting dogs. He became especially h known for his detailed and life-like k portraits of the dogs at work and at p play. plla Osthaus’s passion for dogs comp pelled peel him to follow various dog shows p and aan nd sporting events; his dog portraits include field cllud clud ude de fi fiel fie el trial champion pointers and setters. He created cre reatt a series of advertising postcards, prints prin pr ints in t aand ts n calendar pictures for DuPont. The Toledo Tole To ledo Club Cl maintains an impressive collection of some of his best, large scale oils. William Henry Machen (1832-1911) was born in Arnhem, Holland. In 1847 his family sailed for America. After wintering in Cleveland, they moved onto a 100acre farm near Toledo in the spring of 1858. The farm setting gave William ample subjects for his a paintings—landscapes, p game birds, animals, g rivers and streams. He r also a painted portraits, religious subjects, still r life, l and local scenery. Most M of his work was oil, o but also water color, pencil sketches, and p some pen and ink. He s and a his wife Mary had eight children. e He H exhibited his work at a the Pennsylvania Academy, the 1876 A Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, and the t Detroit Museum of Art. In D 1882 William and his family 1 moved to Detroit where he m taught art at Detroit College (later Univertta sity s of Detroit) and Sacred Heart Convent at at Grosse Pointe. He continued his prolific lifi li fic art work, including portraits, religious subjects, and a variety of others. The artist and b bj ing rock to build the canals, the firm opened plants in Akron and Cleveland. Two of the brothers left to establish another company in southwest Ohio. -Taken from Cleveland: The Making of a City, Rose, 1950. his family remained in Detroit for 12 years. He eventually moved to Washington, D.C. in 1894. There he continued his painting, completing many portraits, still life, and scenes of nature. In his lifetime William Machen completed more than 2700 oil paintings, watercolors, drawings, and sketches. He maintained a single register of his works which is now preserved in the Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. Ohio Powder and Ammunition Companies Austin Powder Company is one of the oldest manufacturing enterprise in Cleveland. Begun in 1833 by the 5 Austin brothers to produce explosives used in blast- The first powder-mill in the Xenia, Ohio area was established in 1846 by Alvin and Lorenzo Austin and Benjamin Carlton. The site of their plant being near an old scythe factory on the Little Miami river between Xenia and Yellow Springs, the site of the present mills. The Austin brothers continued the business until 1852, when Joseph W. King bought an interest in the plant, the firm name being cchanged to Austin, ch King & Company. K I 1855 King became the sole owner and at once incorIn porated the Miami Powder Company. In 1864, during p tthe Civil War, the factory supplied black powder to the th Union Army. King sold the Miami Powder Company U i 1878 and established another plant at King’s Station, in i Warren county, Ohio, organizing a new company in kknown as King’s Great Western Powder Company. Following a major explosion in 1925, which destroyed F most of the structures, the Miami Powder was closed. m Peters Cartridge Company P Joseph Warren King’s son-in-law Gershom Moore Jo Peters began working King’s powder mill in 1881 and P became president of the powder company when King b died in 1885. Peters formed the Peters Cartridge Comd pany at Kings Mills in 1887. Machinery was manufacp turing four-thousand cartridges per hour by t 1889. Remington Arms purchased the Peters 1 Cartridge Company in 1934. C Chamberlin Cartridge Company C - Cleveland/Findlay A duck hunt in the fall of 1883 proved to be a very significant day for hunters in America. Frank Chamberlin invited J. Palmer O’Neil, F president of the Pittsburgh Firearms Co., to shoot ducks on a marsh near Chamberlin’s home in Cleveland, Ohio. The quality of the shells provided by Chamberlin impressed O’Neil. When he learned the ammunition had been loaded on a machine Chamberlin invented, his eyes lit up with dollar signs. Up to that time, all shells were loaded by hand with components supplied almost exclusively by the Union Metallic Cartridge Co. and the Winchester Repeating Arms Co., both Connecticut companies. Mass-produced shotgun shells were unheard of, and Mr. O’Neil quickly recognized the tremendous profits in store-bought, loaded shells. Chamberlin was the first ammunition company to mark shotgun shells for a particular bird or animal. Today these four old Chamberlin boxes are worth approximately $4,000 each. By 1900 Chamberlin was mostly out of the ammunition business, but his company’s affiliate, the Cleveland Target Co., played a major role in supplying traps and targets to gun clubs throughout America. The company’s early years saw their entire line of traps and targets manufactured at their Cleveland ammunition site. As Blue Rock targets increased in popularity, land was purchased in Findlay, Ohio for a new factory. Traps were profitable items for Chamberlin. The Expert and Extension models were made at Findlay, while larger models continued to be manufactured at the Cleveland plant until 1921. In August 1933, Chamberlin sold their target and trap business to the Remington Arms Co. Blue Rock targets are still made at the Findlay plant. –Research by Bob Hinman Kinney and Harlow Duck Call This extraordinary duck call was produced by by the combined efforts of C.L.V. Kinney and William F. Harlow of Newark, Ohio. They were co-workers in the same company and good friends. It is covered entirely in leather except for the brass portion of the shell. Stamped into the end of the shell ar aare ree the words: Kinney and Harlow, Newark, Ohio. o IItt ha hass a glass eye and is 6” in length. It has a Reelfoot Lakestyle sound mechanism. – Taken from Collecting Antique Bird Decoys and Duck Calls: An Identification and Price Guide, Luckey/ Lewis, 2003 Other calls by Ohio carvers include one by Joe Wooster, engraved with “JW” and a beautiful tiger maple call by Noe. Early Ohio Snapping Turtle Jay Cooke’s Gilbralter Home Maumee Bay Osthaus Klopping Machen che hen Enright Enr En Vicaryy Sharon Toussaint FFred Harris Rider Winous W inous us s Point Poi Poiin n DeMars DeMars DeM rs Ohio Daguerreotype Black Duck Unknown Maker Winous Point Shooting Club c. 1860 King’s Great Western Western Peter’s Cartridge Co. Miami M iami Powder Powder Company C k dus San Ottawa ky B Ohio Fish Plaque Marked George H. Myers Austin Powder Company Cleveland Powder Company Chamberlin ay Hauser H t g Hartung Ohio Displayat the Ward Museum Portage River by Dischinger of Elmore, Ohio 1914 Wooster Noe 8QNQRZQ2K 8QNQRZQ2KLR%XIÁHKHDG L c18 c1890s 8 Seminar by :ĞīΘ:ŽLJĐĞ,ĂLJ ũĞńŽLJĐĞŚĂLJΛĐŚĂƌƚĞƌ͘ŶĞƚ ϮϲϵͲϰϭϰͲϵϭϳϮ 50th Annual North American Vintage Decoy & Sporting Collectibles Show presented by the Midwest Decoy Collectors Association St. Charles, Illinois - April 2015
