The development of trout rearing beds and fishing pond three miles west of Coleta will finally come to a reality after more than 50 years of promotion if the plans of William Frankfother, owner of the property are successful. A large spring of ice cold, perfectly clear water coming from the base of a hillside forms a rapidly flowing stream which flows west into a small creek a quarter of a mile from the property. This spring is located in the basement of the Frankfother home and water is held back in a large tile reservoir, the overflow crossing the road just west of the house and courses through a pasture west of the road to its outlet in the creek. Mr. Frankfother has recently completed dyking several acres of the pasture for the pond wh ich he calls “Trout Lake.” In conjunction there are two rearing ponds for trout which he is now holding at the spring. Some of these measure as much as nine inches and he expects later to secure more and also to stock the large pond with trout and other kinds of fish.

More than 55 years ago Aaron Reecher, then owner of the property, dyked the pasture forming a lake of 11 acres. This he stocked with golden carp with the expectation of realizing a profit. However, it was not a financial success and after 15 years the dyke was broken and the land allowed to go back to pasture. During that period there were a number of ice houses on the property where pure water ice was harvested by people of Genesee township. The Illinois state department of conservation was organized in 1925 and in the middle of July three years later, the spring was visited by Gus H. Radebaugh, then the director, with the view of the state taking over the property for a trout hatchery. Conservation engineers also visited the property within the past year or so with the view of utilizing it for the same purpose in conjunction with the three million dollar state artificial lake program. Nothing developed in either case in spite of the fact that Mr. Radebaugh had this to say about it 18 years ago:

“This is an ideal place for a fish hatchery. I have seen nothing like it in the state of Illinois and will give this my most earnest support. If the department engineers determine that the flow of the spring water, the calculated amount of evaporation and other technical details a re satisfactory, and the price is right, I can see no reason why this project cannot be consummated.” A large delegation, many of them members of the Izaac Walton league from Whiteside and adjoining counties, visited the spring when Director Radebaugh made his inspection and then all met at the Lincoln Tavern in the evening for dinner, when Mr. Radebaugh spoke to considerable length on sanitary engineering of which he was formerly an instructor at the University of Illinois. It was the opinion of Mr. Radebaugh that the spot was “tailor made” for a hatchery project. He stated that 15 to 20,000,000 small fish of various kinds “including trout, black bass and perch could be hatched here annually. He said that a normal bass spawns 10,000 eggs in season and that an ordinary wash tub will hold 100,000 fingerlings.

Lewis Long of Sterling, who sold the property to Mr. Frankfother, says that in tests made by him that the flow of the spring is 15,000 gallons of water an hour and that it is never below 47 degrees in temperature and never above 49 degrees. After the property left the Reecher estate it was owned by he late Henry Harrington, prominent Sterling auctioneer, who sold it to Mr. Long. Lew Reecher, residing with his son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Ludwig F. Becker of Rock Falls, is the only survivor of the 15 Reecher children. Now, after all of these years the old “Reecher” spring will bear fruit as a hatchery and trout pond, not under state control, but under private ownership of Mr. Frankfother.