Shark Week in Carleton Place on the Mississippi Bridge

It was the third week of June in 1885, and every single day for a week the townsfolk gathered on the Carleton Place bridge overlooking the Mississippi, to catch a glimpse of something big in the water. Some said a shark had migrated into the Mississippi, but no one could say how a shark could possibly do that. Each day the crowds assembled on the bridge to watch the movements of an extremely large fish that seemed to taunt all those that tried to capture it.

Even though the gossipers said it was as a big as cow, in reality, the fish was over three feet long and some said it could weigh close to 30 pounds or more. What was it that had the townsfolk enthralled so much it made the newspapers? In the end it was reported by several fisherman that had been summoned to the bridge that it was nothing more than a large pike. There was no word after that in the newspapers if the fish had been captured.

One would say it was the one that got away.

Of course this is not a pike.. this is a sturgeon—but I do believe this could have been the size of it 🙂 Once the gossip got underway in town.

 

Carleton Place Town Hall Near the bridge info:

Photos by the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum

The Town Hall-the town hall was built in 1897 by George W. King for a princely sum of $26,000. It took two years to complete and is a fine example of Richardson Romanesque architecture.

Did you know people used to skate on the Mississippi River? This photo was taken in 1917 and shows the Carleton Place Town Hall and Patterson’s Furniture Store. 

Buy Linda Secaspina’s Books— Flashbacks of Little Miss Flash Cadilac– Tilting the Kilt-Vintage Whispers of Carleton Place and 4 others on Amazon or Amazon Canada or Wisteria at 62 Bridge Street in Carleton Place