Tales by Terry: The Pearl Button and Clamming Industry

The Winona Public Library and Sandbar Storytelling Festival are partnering to bring Terry Visger of Tales by Terry to the Winona Public Library. Terry will tell the tale of the pearl button and clamming industry. Clamming was a major industry along the Mississippi River from 1890 through the 1920s and beyond. Fortunes were made by taking clams, and freshwater mussels, out of the river and making buttons out of the shells. As a clammer’s wife, Visger will share the story of how the mussels were harvested, of the pearls that were sometimes found, and a bit about the button-making process. Following the story, Terry’s presentation will include a talk about freshwater mussels, one of the most endangered species in the US.