Fishin' 'n' frackin'

- Sandhill Cranes -

Going down a rabbit hole this week, I discovered that the first Zebco reel was invented by a Rotan man, one R. D. Hull. How this tidbit escaped my dad's encyclopedia of tales, I don't know.

According to the Oklahoma Historical Society, Hull approached Zero Hour Bomb Company in Tulsa with his invention, and they helped him manufacture and market the reel. The company produced electric bombs used in oil field fracturing at the time, in 1949.

I find it interesting when I run across things purported as new that are actually old. I thought all this fracking business was a recent venture, but Zero Hour started in 1932.  Looking back at other articles, fracking seems to have originated in the 1860's, although the materials used to accomplish the fracturing have changed vastly from the first days.

Back to the reel, I have to say that it is an object that has been ubiquitous throughout my life. I have fond memories of fishing off a dock at Lake Sweetwater and taking the kids fishing on local creeks, using simple and cheap Zebcos.

Here's an informational article from the American Oil & Gas Historical Society. There is a misspelled word in there, which usually puts me off, but it's a coherent and well-written documentation of the history of this particular reel, as well as fracking. Make it a game and find the gaff!

This link is just some fun, an article about a house that Hull had built in the shape of a fishing reel.

The photo today is of the incoming migration of Sandhill Cranes that inundate the Mitchell County area each fall. I have a video, but it won't load on here. I only wanted to post it because of the audio. The cranes make a lot of racket with their singing.