The Fish
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Park enthusiasts, there's no map to uncover hidden secrets in cold cases. So my friend Ashley Flowers, host of The Deck, is forging her own path in search of the truth. On The Deck, Ashley investigates unsolved cases featured on real playing cards distributed in prisons. Through original reporting and a relentless pursuit of the facts, she follows the clues, revisits evidence, and searches for the breakthrough that could change everything. If you're ready to be dealt in, listen to The Deck every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, park enthusiasts. I'm your host, Ilya D'Ambra. And the case I'm going to tell you about today takes place in Waterville, Minnesota, which I know is not a park in and of itself, but it is located right between two very popular resort lakes in Minnesota called Tatonka Lake and Sakata Lake.
In the summer of 1940, these two bodies of water were brimming with activity. Boaters, residents, tourists, they were all taking to the lakes. But it was anglers and commercial fishermen who were most obsessed with these shimmering waters. You see, Waterville prides itself as being known as the bullhead capital of the world. And if you're wondering what the heck a bullhead is, it's a certain species of catfish that is native to North America. They have whisker-like appendages, tend to dwell in muddy, calm waters, and according to Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources website, these fish have a unique ability to endure harsh winters that usually kill off other species. During the Great Depression, catching, eating, or selling bullheads became a way of life for a lot of people who were hit hard by economic adversity.
Author James M. Keller, who wrote a great book about this case titled Tragedy on Fish Row, The Waterville Shootings, stated that throughout the 1930s, thousands of pounds of bullheads were fished from area lakes and distributed nationwide. At some point, though, the massive number of harvests drew the attention of state game wardens who were concerned that the lakes might be being overfished. Territorial beef between anglers began to emerge, and even acts of violence happened. But it seems no crime was as shocking as the triple homicide in the heart of Waterville that, to this day, has never quite gone away. At least not for the people living in the bullhead capital of the world. This is Park Predators.
so so
On the evening of Friday, July 12, 1940, three Minnesota Fish and Game wardens named Dudley Brady, Marcus Whipps, and Adolph Melvin Holt, who most often went by Melvin, arrived at a property on the southwest corner of Sakata Lake in Waterville to check on a well-known fish dealer named Bryant Baumgardner. At that time, there were about 140 people working for the state's game warden corps. Generally, each warden was in charge of monitoring about a 650-square-mile territory. Wardens had authority anywhere in the state, but most of the time they were assigned to areas they were familiar with. Marcus Whipp's district included Waterville. And that particular day, he'd enlisted Melvin and Dudley to help him in an ongoing investigation into illegal fish harvesting.
People in Waterville knew who Marcus was, and because he took his job so seriously, there were even times when folks would get into it with him because of how strictly he enforced fish and game restrictions. Author James Keller cited coverage by what was formerly known as the Minneapolis Tribune, which reported that throughout the 1930s and early 1940s, people were regularly being arrested for using illegal methods to harvest bullheads. Most commonly, bullheads would bite on worms.
What historic event in Waterville, Minnesota sparked this episode about bullhead fishing?
Anglers would go out in rowboats, toss in their lines from cane poles, and snag however many they could get. But that method was slower, less mass-catching, if you will. But, of course, people who wanted to catch a larger number of bullheads in a single trip would rig a set line or throw out a net, which wasn't allowed. Nearly 55 years earlier, state lawmakers had signed a bill that created what was then known as the Minnesota Board of Game and Fish Commissioners.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–4:13
2
What historic event in Waterville, Minnesota sparked this episode about bullhead fishing?
4:13–8:18
3
How did bullhead catfish become central to Waterville's economy and conflict in the 1930s–1940s?
8:18–21:38
4
Why were Minnesota game wardens investigating commercial bullhead operations in 1940?
21:38–27:56