Fishing Outings on the Major Wilcox

The Major Wilcox was a company boat for the Booth Fisheries Company, which was in operation in Sandusky from the early 1900s through the early 1960s. In the undated picture above, the only individual who has been identified is J.J. Schrank, who was a longtime employee of Booth Fisheries. He is the fourth individual from the left, in the back row. 

In August of 1914 and 1915, Erie County officials went aboard the Major Wilcox for a fishing outing. A “Looking Backward” column of the Sandusky Register of August 11, 1935, stated that on August 11, 1915, the Erie County Courthouse appeared to be a “deserted village” because so many county officials were out of the office on the annual fishing party and outing. Below is a photograph taken by E.H. Schlessman of the Erie County Officials annual fishing outing on August 26, 1914.

The boat was the namesake of prominent Sandusky business man Clinton B. Wilcox, who also served as a Major in Company B of the 16^th Regiment, Ohio National Guard.

Annual Outing of Booth Fisheries Employees

Mrs. H.C. Lehman donated this undated picture postcard of employees of the Booth Fisheries on their annual outing. The manager of Booth Fisheries, J.J. Schrank, is the fourth individual on the left in the back row. The men are all lined up at the pier, waiting for the trip to begin aboard the Major Wilcox. While we are not positive which year this picture was taken, an article in the July 2, 1917 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal provides us with a vivid description of the annual outing from 1917. The headline of the article stated that the outing was a great success.

Over fifty employees of the Booth Fisheries, and some of their friends, left aboard the company docks, in spite of threatening weather. Louis Beverick served as master of ceremonies, and “Bumps” Biehl was the chef. The group was served turtle soup and fried fish. After dinner, the group returned to Sandusky to unload equipment, and they returned to the Major Wilcox for a boat ride around the Lake Erie Island, while another round of refreshments was served. If you would like to read the article in its entirety, visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center, to view the Sandusky Star Jounal of July 2, 1917, now on microfilm.