EDITOR’S NOTE: Superiorland Yesterdays is prepared by the reference desk staff at Peter White Public Library.

30 years ago

April 17, 1993 – MARQUETTE – A family-run commercial fishing operation in Marquette has been cited by the Michigan Audubon Society for saving loons from drowning in nets. Thill’s Fisheries received the society’s 1993 Small Business Award for Environmental Stewardship for altering their fishing nets to enable deep-diving loons to escape when accidentally snared. “We’re real pleased about the award,” said Jerry Thill, who owns the business with his brothers, Ted and Ron. “We remodeled the top of the net to make the mesh bigger, which allows loons to swim out of the top.” The state Department of Natural Resources estimates that 500 to 600 loons are killed annually in such nets statewide. “We feel they have probably saved some loon lives already,” said Melinda Stamp of Marquette, vice chairwoman of the Laughing Whitefish chapter of the Audubon Society. “They are also setting a good example for other fisheries to follow, particularly in areas where more loon deaths occur.” The risk was that the nets would result in lower fish harvests, but Thill said there’s been no indication of that. The business, meanwhile, is sharing what it’s learned with other commercial fishing operations.

90 years ago

April 15, 1933 – NEWBERRY – A night and day of harrowing experiences while marooned on an ice floe fell to the lot of Captain William Kincaide and six members of the Whitefish and Vermillion Coast Guard crews Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. Captain Kincaide and men had been assisting in the search for two Cedarville fishermen carried out on an ice field while fishing near Dollar settlement. At 5:30 p.m. they left in the government surf boat, following lanes which had opened in the ice field. A short time after dark the wind shifted and the lanes closed, holding the boat fast. By making use of a light skiff, the men started to force their way through the crushed ice. A flashlight signal from shore notified them that the fishermen had been found, so they turned back. At about 2:00 a.m. they saw a hole punched in the boat and watched the craft sink. Although they were able to get out on the ice, they lost all their equipment. It was decided that the skiff would go to shore for help. Captain Kinkaide remained with the rest of the crew. The trip was made with great difficulty, taking from 2:30 to 7:00 a.m. The men reached the Whitefish station. A power boat was launched at once. It was impossible to take the power boat anywhere near the marooned men. The skiff was used, working its way through the broken ice to the edge of the field. The party reached the Whitefish station at 4:25 p.m.