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First Fish Hatchery
In the spring of 1880, the Iowa State legislature enacted a law authorizing a new fish hatchery to be built in Spirit Lake. this original structure was only 20feet by 40 feet with a basement area for hatching trout.
Land was given by Spirit Lake Hotel and Transit Co. and Cedar Rapids and Iowa Falls Land and Town Lot Company. Later they purchased 25 more acres from a Harry Buck for $8,500.00. The Iowa Conservation Commmission constructed the building. -
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Fish Hatchery
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Spirit Lake Becomes New Headquarters for Fisheries in Iowa
Mr. E. D. Carlton was appointed the Fish Commissioner. Spirit lake became the headquarters for Fisheries in Iowa. -
Fish Hatchery Enlarged
The original building was added onto. Concrete and brick holding ponds were constructed -
Laws Reformed and Enforced.
Laws became more like today's laws. You could catch fish only by hook and line. Only minnows could be seined for bait. The use of more than two lines with one hook each became illegal. -
Low water levels
In the late 1890's water levels in the Lakes were extremely low, making hatchery and nursery ponds useless. -
Fish Planted in Iowa Great Lakes
120,000lake trout; 20,000 rock bass;10,000yelllow perch; and 25,000 others fish were planted in the Iowa Great Lakes. -
Fish transported to Iowa Great Lakes
8 - 10 loads of fishwere transported by train to Iowa Great Lakes from the Mississippi River backwaters. Eack load contained 50,000 - 60,000 fish. -
Railroad Car given to State for Fish Transportation
The Hawkeye I was given to the state to transport fish. It was given by the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railroad. It had been the railroad's superintendent's personal conveyance. It was entirely rebuilt to care for fish and make quarters for crews. -
Fish Hatchery Started Consturction of Yet Another Larger Structure
The original, even with an addition, was now inadequate due to poor design and unreliavle water supply. -
Hawkeye II Built
Hawkeye II was built to replace the first railroad car called Hawkeke I. -
fFrst Season for Hatching Pike
Gill-netting crews in row boats captured pregnant females; stripped the eggs and hatched the eggs. 2% of eggs in the natural setting survive and mature; 65% in artificial setting survive and mature. Hatchlings are dumped into our lakes or transported to rivers and other Iowa lakes. -
Hawkeye II Now Retired
The Hawkeye II was retired and placed on the Spirit Lake Fish Hatchery grounds used as quarters for transient employees. -
Elimination of Rough Fish
Traps were set at the mouths of tributaries to catch "rough" fish. They were located at the mouths of sloughs such as Templar Park,
Buffalo Run, Little Spirit Lake, McClelland's Beach, Sandbar, and Hale's Slough. They tried to eliminate carp and buffalo. -
Dedication of New Fish Hatchery
New fish production demands made the old building obsolete once again. The new facility is in the same location as the others. The new building had the capacity to hatch 125 million walleye fry, plus 2 million muske eggs...nearly double the capacity of the 1016 building. -
Most Recent Addition Added
This addition provided more space for holding brood fish and tank space for raising muskies from fry to fingerlings before releasing them into the lake.
