Voices from the Past: James Heddon (1906)

This article was written by none other than James Heddon and appeared in the June 1906 edition of The Northwestern Sportsman. It's an interesting story, but more than that, it gives us insight into Heddon's manufacturing. In 1906, James Heddon was engaging in the purchase of cardboard boxes for his lures from the Barger Box Company of Elkhart, Indiana. Interestingly, Barger is still in business today--and likely provided boxes for Heddon for many years beyond this.

A TRUE STORY

Over in Elkhart, Ind., which is only about twenty-five miles from the home of the writer, Dowagiac, Mich., there is a business man by the name of Barger. Mr. Barger is engaged in paper box manufacturing, and makes good boxes, as we know, being one of his customers. But besides this, Mr. Barger is a genial gentleman and, more than all, an enthusiastic angler. There is only one blemish on Barger's sporting character. Up to the time of the occurrence I am about to relate, Barger thought he had to go a-hunting in order to go a-fishing. Nothing would catch bass like frogs. Now, Mr. Barger used to go over to a huge mill pond, four miles from here, that was at that time well stocked with bass. That was about three years ago. A lady who keeps a· boat livery and boards anglers, has her boat landing in a little bay of rather shallow water, and just up to the mouth of this bay a big four pound bass had his lair.

Barger fed this bass frogs all that summer. Every time he would pass by he would cast out two or three frogs which the lusty bass would adroitly remove from his hooks and gulp down to his evident satisfaction, and to an equal amount of annoyance to Barger, but he was getting fat, and sooner or later he would get hooked, Barger thought. But along in the latter part of summer the writer and another party went up and procured one of "Aunt Carrie's" boats and· started out of the bay casting an artificial bait, and this proved too many for Mr. Baas. He bit at it at once and the next morning on the table nicely fried. Incidently we spoke to the landlady about where we captured him, and she threw up both hands with a frightened look upon her face and said, "Oh! You caught Mr. Barger's bass. He fed him frogs ever since last spring. He will be much put out when he finds that bass is gone." Of course, we didn't do it a-purpose. If the landlady told us about the lair, the bass and Mr. Barger's kindness in feeding him frogs all summer, to be sure we wouldn't have cast that far better lure over in the direction we did. But we understand that our Mr. Barger has progressed and reformed, that he learned that there are better lures than frogs or live minnows, and he doesn't spend a large portion of his time hunting frogs before he is to fish for any more.

-- Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: Biography of James Heddon (1900)

The following biography of James Heddon reminds us that his first love in life was not fishing or tackle, but beekeeping. From the important book The ABC of Bee Culture by A.I. & E.R Root, it covers his career in some depth. Of great interest is the description of his demeanor, which is said to be "intensely nervous."

JAMES HEDDON


James Heddon was born Aug. 28, 1845, in the Genesee Valley, New York. Early In life he removed to the West: and for years Dowagiac, Mich., has been a name well known to bee-keepers, because it is the home of James Heddon. Endowed by nature with a mind of remarkable vigor lie lacked the advantages of much training in schools, and possibly also its disadvantages. His entrance into the ranks of bee-keepers, about the year 1869. may probably be traced to the fact that he married Miss Hastings, the daughter of a bee-keeper, serving an apprenticeship with the father. Few have shown such faith in bee-keeping, for Mr. H. was the first in the State and one of the first in the country, to make a specialty of that pursuit, and few have shown that their faith was so well founded: for, commencing with nothing he credits his capital, amounting to thousands, entirely to the aid of the little busy bee. His apiaries have some years contained between 500 and 600 colonies. In 1879 he added the supply-business.

Mr. Heddon is slight and wiry In figure, below the medium size, of sandy complexion, and intensely nervous in temperament. This nervous tendency leaves its strong impress on his writings, and more especially on his speaking. To that, and to the state of health resulting from it, may perhaps be attributed a fierceness in controversy, especially in his earlier writings, that would hardly allow one, who had never seen him, to give him credit for the affability that he really possesses. As might be expected, both In writing and speaking, he is possessed of great vigor. He Is a prolific writer, and, when not too much carried away by controversy, eminently practical. In 1885 he published "Success in Bee Culture," a practical work, giving his plans of bee management, as also a description of the Heddon hive invented by him —a hive having the brood-chamber divided Into two sections, with the Intention of making manipulation by hives rather than by frames. He is also editor and publisher of the Dowagiac Times.

Among his inventions, aside from the Heddon hive, are the Heddon surplus case and the slat honey-board, so extensively used. He is the father of the "Pollen Theory." Mr. Heddon is by no means guided by what is merely popular, seeming rather to take a delight In the opposite, and for a time championed box hives after their general abandonment. He now prefers a carefully bred cross of Italians and blacks.

-- Dr. Todd