Old fishing gear donated to Yankton museum
By Loretta Sorensen, Journal correspondent | Posted: Tuesday, October 02, 2007
YANKTON, S.D. -- Old fish are seldom welcomed anywhere, but old fishing gear recently received a very warm welcome at Yankton's Dakota Territorial Museum.
YANKTON, S.D. -- Old fish are seldom welcomed anywhere, but old fishing gear recently received a very warm welcome at Yankton's Dakota Territorial Museum.
Max Copper of Bloomfield, Neb., donated a collection of outboard motors, lures and large variety of fishing gear to the museum a couple of years ago. Copper wanted his collection to be housed in the area and provided a generous donation to the museum to assist in maintaining it.
Because fishing is a major recreational activity in the Yankton area, the museum has made efforts this year to promote the collection.
"A sign went up earlier this year to let passersby know that the collection is here," Crystal Mensch, museum director, said. "We know a lot of fishermen from other areas come through here and we wanted them to be aware that the collection is available here."
Copper's collection includes memorabilia ranging from a 1915 Evinrude motor to a 1955 coral-colored Mercury Silent Six, sometimes referred to as the "Mercury Red" because of its color.
Doug Sall, who served as museum director at the time of the donation, believes the collection is quite rare in this region.
"You might see tidbits at places like Cabela's, but I've never seen anything like this in one display," he said.
Copper, an ordinary fisherman who Sall said was somewhat "obsessed" with collecting fishing memorabilia, kept detailed notes about the pieces which helped in evaluating the display.
"He'd write things like 'never saw anything like this before,' which helps you know that from a collector's standpoint, it's a rare piece," Sall said.
Yankton County Historical Society board member Dr. Mel Jameson recommended the museum purchase the collection. He based the decision on his experiences with vintage fishing equipment displays and sales in other areas. He believed the collection was an asset to the museum. The cost of the outboard motors in the collection ranged from $100 to nearly $1,000.
A cabin next to the museum houses the collection. Some of the more rare pieces in the collection include the Elto Pal, a 1.1-horsepower "kicker" that was manufactured by Evinrude under its Elto (Evinrude Light Twin Outboard) moniker. A second Elto model, from around 1925, features novel "rudder steering."
A 1957 Firestone 5-horsepower outboard motor, manufactured by the Scot-Atwater Company of Minneapolis, Minn., is among the motors on display. A 1950 Model KG-7 Mercury Hurricane, a green 10-plus horsepower, was one of Sall's favorite pieces in the display.
Copper's collection also included numerous lures, fishing nets, Evinrude advertising displays and a variety of fishing gear which has been organized into an inviting display.
Mensch said fishermen from the region have made up the majority of visitors to the display.
"Anyone with an interest in fishing and the water would enjoy this," she said. "Often people see something that reminds them of their father or grandfather. When fishermen stop by, they'll often go back to the rest of the group they're fishing with and tell them 'You have to see this!'"
YANKTON, S.D. -- Old fish are seldom welcomed anywhere, but old fishing gear recently received a very warm welcome at Yankton's Dakota Territorial Museum.
Max Copper of Bloomfield, Neb., donated a collection of outboard motors, lures and large variety of fishing gear to the museum a couple of years ago. Copper wanted his collection to be housed in the area and provided a generous donation to the museum to assist in maintaining it.
Because fishing is a major recreational activity in the Yankton area, the museum has made efforts this year to promote the collection.
"A sign went up earlier this year to let passersby know that the collection is here," Crystal Mensch, museum director, said. "We know a lot of fishermen from other areas come through here and we wanted them to be aware that the collection is available here."
Copper's collection includes memorabilia ranging from a 1915 Evinrude motor to a 1955 coral-colored Mercury Silent Six, sometimes referred to as the "Mercury Red" because of its color.
Doug Sall, who served as museum director at the time of the donation, believes the collection is quite rare in this region.
"You might see tidbits at places like Cabela's, but I've never seen anything like this in one display," he said.
Copper, an ordinary fisherman who Sall said was somewhat "obsessed" with collecting fishing memorabilia, kept detailed notes about the pieces which helped in evaluating the display.
"He'd write things like 'never saw anything like this before,' which helps you know that from a collector's standpoint, it's a rare piece," Sall said.
Yankton County Historical Society board member Dr. Mel Jameson recommended the museum purchase the collection. He based the decision on his experiences with vintage fishing equipment displays and sales in other areas. He believed the collection was an asset to the museum. The cost of the outboard motors in the collection ranged from $100 to nearly $1,000.
A cabin next to the museum houses the collection. Some of the more rare pieces in the collection include the Elto Pal, a 1.1-horsepower "kicker" that was manufactured by Evinrude under its Elto (Evinrude Light Twin Outboard) moniker. A second Elto model, from around 1925, features novel "rudder steering."
A 1957 Firestone 5-horsepower outboard motor, manufactured by the Scot-Atwater Company of Minneapolis, Minn., is among the motors on display. A 1950 Model KG-7 Mercury Hurricane, a green 10-plus horsepower, was one of Sall's favorite pieces in the display.
Copper's collection also included numerous lures, fishing nets, Evinrude advertising displays and a variety of fishing gear which has been organized into an inviting display.
Mensch said fishermen from the region have made up the majority of visitors to the display.
"Anyone with an interest in fishing and the water would enjoy this," she said. "Often people see something that reminds them of their father or grandfather. When fishermen stop by, they'll often go back to the rest of the group they're fishing with and tell them 'You have to see this!'"
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