1905 - Mulhurst Fish Packing Plant

Lake

Aug 9

In addition to farming and logging - fishing employed hundreds throughout the region. A fish packing plant opened and run by Benjamin ‘Benny’ Ouimette, was established in the hamlet of Mulhurst. This packing plant was responsible supplying fish locally to locations as distant as New York and Chicago. By 1918, more than 81,000 kilograms (90 tons) of fish were harvested from the lake annually, with some 400 commercial fisherman holding licenses. Walleye, Yellow Perch and Northern Pike were in abundance and the local Indigenous peoples and settlers alike fished without limitation. The lake was heavily fished but by 1928, the commercial viability had decreased and by World War II the fish stock had collapsed.

Benny Ouimette, was a busy entrepreneur. He and his wife Bessie also ran the ‘Hotel Ouimette’ complete with a four-table restaurant, took on the Edmonton Journal Agency at Pigeon Lake, delivered milk for many years and was a Commissioner of Oaths!

“During part of the 1920’s fresh (unfrozen) fish from Pigeon Lake were shipped to special markets in New York and Chicago for a premium price. From December 15 to March 15 each year about 400 licenses would be issued to fishermen. The fish were packed in chipped ice in boxes. Each box contained 200 lbs (approximately 90kg) of fish. The boxes of fish were hauled in sleighs to Millet, and from there sent by train to their destinations.

In the history book “Tales and Trails of Millet it tells that in order to have this happen the teamsters with their horse drawn sleighs had to be at Ouimette’s fish plant at Mulhurst by 6 a.m. This meant that any outfits from Millet area had to leave home about midnight.

The majority of fish caught at Pigeon Lake in these times, however, were sold as frozen fish and packed at Benny Ouimette’s fish packing plant. By the end of the 1920’s the roads were much improved and trucks were used to haul the fish. Charlie Moonen and Shorty Burns were two of the many people who would often do this. They would load the frozen fish on Mr. Moonen’s truck and sell them to local residents and to people in areas where fish were not accessible.

Later on as the supply of fish at Pigeon Lake became depleted, commercial licenses were no longer issued.”

Excerpt from Rundle’s Mission History.