TROUT IN HISTORY’S SHADOW
Bill Cooper for www.southerntrout.com
May/June 2014
A slightly noticeable dimple appeared in the slick water of Maramec Spring Branch when the plump, 2-pound trout sipped the surface for the tiny mosquito imitation.
Th trout appeared healthy and strong. The well-colored fish powered its way upstream and quartered into current. I grimaced as my fly line peeled from the reel. My 1-pound leader remained in tact, even through four spectacular jumps, which the trout executed in quick fashion. All too soon, I slid my landing net under the exhausted fish. When the fly line went slack, the tiny fly fell from the trout’s jaw.
The sun soon sunk low in the west, casing long shadows from the remains of a long long-dilapidated pre-settlement ironworks furnace nearby. I relished the moment. My mind wanderer from the pleasures of the stream’s trout fishing to times long past, when hardy pioneers struggled to eke out a living from a frontier business venture, the Marmec Iron Works.
In 1825, The Courtois Hills region of southeast Missouri remained one of the most formidable wilderness areas in the new state of Missouri. Mile after mile of hog-backed ridges lay between Maramec Spring and the St. Louis region, almost 100 miles away. The vast wilderness long remained a physical barrier to settlement, transportation and communication.
A few pioneer attempts had been made to mine the unusual sinkhole iron ore deposits found in what is now Phelps, Crawford and Dent counties. All had failed, however, until an Ohio ironmonger by the name of Thomas James explored the area after learning about hematite deposits from a ban of Shawnee Indians. The tribe’s members camped on James’ Ohio property while on their way to Washington, D.C.
Alongside Maramec Spring, James managed to establish the first successful ironworks west of the Mississippi River. An entire company-owned village developed around the endeavor, which lasted from 1826 to 1876. The legacy and romance of the frontier business are still alive today within the boundaries of Maramec Spring Park, owned and operated by The James Foundation.
The rushing waters of Maramec Spring, the seventh largest spring in the state, once powered trip hammers and grist mills. Now, thousands of park visitors and trout fishermen find tantalizing, breathtaking beauty in its waters as it winds its way downstream.
As it does with three other trout parks - Bennett Springs State park, Montauk State Park and Roaring River State Park - the Missouri Department of Conservation maintains a put-and-take trout fishery in Maramec Spring Park. MDC personnel stock the stream each evening with 2 1/4 fish per estimated fishermen for the following day.
The trout fishing season in all the parks runs from March 1to October 31. The daily limit at Marmaec Spring Park is four fish. Anglers are required to carry a fishing license and a daily trout tag. Both can be purchased at the reception building at the park entrance. The James Foundation also charges a $5 per day parking fee, or an annual pass for $35.
Trout have long been a part of the attractions at Maramec Spring Park. According to Spence Turner, a former fisheries research biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, trout were stocked at Maramec Spring as early as 1880. “The original stock came from the McCloud River in California. Eggs ere shipped un-iced by train to a hatchery in St. Joseph. There, the eggs were hatched and the resultant fry were shipped in milk cans to St. Louis by railroad. Crews were given instructions to stock a few streams on the return trip, which ended in Joplin. The Meramec River, Maramec Spring Branch, Crane Creek and Spring River were the first place to receive rainbows. Three more stockings took place between 1880 and 1890,” he said.
According to Mark Benton, regional manager of the James Foundation, “Mrs. Lucy Wortham James wrote about feeding trout in Maramec Spring Branch in the early 1920’s. She reportedly stocked more rainbows in the branch in 1922. The James family never allowed any fishing above the county road crossing, now the road bridge.”
Then in 1942 the MDC and the James Foundation entered into a cooperative agreement for managing the stream’s trout fishery. The agreement advanced through several stages until the establishment of Maramec Spring Park as a daily tag trout fishing area in 1958.
During the early 1970’s, I conducted my graduate research at Maramec Spring. Trout fishermen told me they came to Maramec for a variety of reasons. They were drawn by the area’s outstanding beauty, the cleanliness of the park and the opportunity to enjoy the romantic history of a lifestyle gone by. The trout park’s proximity to St. Louis was another reason. In fact, more than 60 percent of the fishermen I interviewed for my study were from St. louis. Metro angler reach the park after driving an hour and a half southwestward on Interstate 44. From St. James, Maramec Spring lies 8 miles southeast on Highway 8.
Taking a limit of scrappy rainbows at Maramec may be a cinch on opening day, and for a couple of months thereafter. However, as spring rains subside, the flows from the spring become crystal clear. A flurry of fast action is enjoyed by anglers at the whistle, which marks the beginning of the fishing day. Fishing success subsides quickly and anglers settle in for the day. Tout spook easily in the clear water and stealth becomes important.
For a real summer time trout fishing treat, try fly fishing during the last two hours of the day at Maramec. Bug hatches are common this tine of day. Alight rod and tippet equals great fly fishing fun.
Each year, millions of gallons of cold, crystal-clear spring water flow past the remains of the Maramec Iron Works. And more than a few anglers pause each year from their fishing on cool summer evenings to ponder what life must have been like for the pioneer fishermen of Maramec Spring.
For more information on Maramec Spring park and trout fishing, call the park office at (573) 265-7387. Incidentally, the spelling of “Maramec” is an Anglicized version of the Indian word mirimiguoa, meaning catfish.
TROUT IN HISTORY’S SHADOW
Bill Cooper for www.southerntrout.com
May/June 2014
A slightly noticeable dimple appeared in the slick water of Maramec Spring Branch when the plump, 2-pound trout sipped the surface for the tiny mosquito imitation.
Th trout appeared healthy and strong. The well-colored fish powered its way upstream and quartered into current. I grimaced as my fly line peeled from the reel. My 1-pound leader remained in tact, even through four spectacular jumps, which the trout executed in quick fashion. All too soon, I slid my landing net under the exhausted fish. When the fly line went slack, the tiny fly fell from the trout’s jaw.
The sun soon sunk low in the west, casing long shadows from the remains of a long long-dilapidated pre-settlement ironworks furnace nearby. I relished the moment. My mind wanderer from the pleasures of the stream’s trout fishing to times long past, when hardy pioneers struggled to eke out a living from a frontier business venture, the Marmec Iron Works.
In 1825, The Courtois Hills region of southeast Missouri remained one of the most formidable wilderness areas in the new state of Missouri. Mile after mile of hog-backed ridges lay between Maramec Spring and the St. Louis region, almost 100 miles away. The vast wilderness long remained a physical barrier to settlement, transportation and communication.
A few pioneer attempts had been made to mine the unusual sinkhole iron ore deposits found in what is now Phelps, Crawford and Dent counties. All had failed, however, until an Ohio ironmonger by the name of Thomas James explored the area after learning about hematite deposits from a ban of Shawnee Indians. The tribe’s members camped on James’ Ohio property while on their way to Washington, D.C.
Alongside Maramec Spring, James managed to establish the first successful ironworks west of the Mississippi River. An entire company-owned village developed around the endeavor, which lasted from 1826 to 1876. The legacy and romance of the frontier business are still alive today within the boundaries of Maramec Spring Park, owned and operated by The James Foundation.
The rushing waters of Maramec Spring, the seventh largest spring in the state, once powered trip hammers and grist mills. Now, thousands of park visitors and trout fishermen find tantalizing, breathtaking beauty in its waters as it winds its way downstream.
As it does with three other trout parks - Bennett Springs State park, Montauk State Park and Roaring River State Park - the Missouri Department of Conservation maintains a put-and-take trout fishery in Maramec Spring Park. MDC personnel stock the stream each evening with 2 1/4 fish per estimated fishermen for the following day.
The trout fishing season in all the parks runs from March 1to October 31. The daily limit at Marmaec Spring Park is four fish. Anglers are required to carry a fishing license and a daily trout tag. Both can be purchased at the reception building at the park entrance. The James Foundation also charges a $5 per day parking fee, or an annual pass for $35.
Trout have long been a part of the attractions at Maramec Spring Park. According to Spence Turner, a former fisheries research biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, trout were stocked at Maramec Spring as early as 1880. “The original stock came from the McCloud River in California. Eggs ere shipped un-iced by train to a hatchery in St. Joseph. There, the eggs were hatched and the resultant fry were shipped in milk cans to St. Louis by railroad. Crews were given instructions to stock a few streams on the return trip, which ended in Joplin. The Meramec River, Maramec Spring Branch, Crane Creek and Spring River were the first place to receive rainbows. Three more stockings took place between 1880 and 1890,” he said.
According to Mark Benton, regional manager of the James Foundation, “Mrs. Lucy Wortham James wrote about feeding trout in Maramec Spring Branch in the early 1920’s. She reportedly stocked more rainbows in the branch in 1922. The James family never allowed any fishing above the county road crossing, now the road bridge.”
Then in 1942 the MDC and the James Foundation entered into a cooperative agreement for managing the stream’s trout fishery. The agreement advanced through several stages until the establishment of Maramec Spring Park as a daily tag trout fishing area in 1958.
During the early 1970’s, I conducted my graduate research at Maramec Spring. Trout fishermen told me they came to Maramec for a variety of reasons. They were drawn by the area’s outstanding beauty, the cleanliness of the park and the opportunity to enjoy the romantic history of a lifestyle gone by. The trout park’s proximity to St. Louis was another reason. In fact, more than 60 percent of the fishermen I interviewed for my study were from St. louis. Metro angler reach the park after driving an hour and a half southwestward on Interstate 44. From St. James, Maramec Spring lies 8 miles southeast on Highway 8.
Taking a limit of scrappy rainbows at Maramec may be a cinch on opening day, and for a couple of months thereafter. However, as spring rains subside, the flows from the spring become crystal clear. A flurry of fast action is enjoyed by anglers at the whistle, which marks the beginning of the fishing day. Fishing success subsides quickly and anglers settle in for the day. Tout spook easily in the clear water and stealth becomes important.
For a real summer time trout fishing treat, try fly fishing during the last two hours of the day at Maramec. Bug hatches are common this tine of day. Alight rod and tippet equals great fly fishing fun.
Each year, millions of gallons of cold, crystal-clear spring water flow past the remains of the Maramec Iron Works. And more than a few anglers pause each year from their fishing on cool summer evenings to ponder what life must have been like for the pioneer fishermen of Maramec Spring.
For more information on Maramec Spring park and trout fishing, call the park office at (573) 265-7387. Incidentally, the spelling of “Maramec” is an Anglicized version of the Indian word mirimiguoa, meaning catfish.
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