Old Timers

Charlie Curran was born close to the Big Piney River in 1938 and for 88 years he has stayed close to the Big Piney River. He lives near Duke, Missouri on the lower third of the river where he fishes regularly for goggle-eyes and bass, sets trotlines for flathead catfish, and rides horses.

Charlie Curran with google eye.

There are no men left who know the river like Charlie knows it. In 1946 an uncle by the name of Wilford Lee had a pair of St. Louis fishermen he had to take fishing on the Piney, and he knew that his nine year old nephew, Charlie, could paddle a johnboat well enough to take one of them. He became a Big Piney fishing guide that day and it was an occupation that lasts until today. Charlie and I went on a float trip last spring and landed a dozen or so goggle-eye and half that many bass. We also found a 100-year-old railroad tie that will someday be in my museum.

“When I was a boy guiding in the 40’s and 50’s every fisherman used a fly rod and flies.” Charlie told me. “The casting reels and lures came along after the war, especially in the1950’s.”

Charlie dropped by my Big Piney Center and Museum last week and we shared stories about the river and our experiences. He agreed to come back in late June when we have our big sale and meet with people, and tell many of the stories he has about the river and his memories of people from a long ago era.

But that’s not all. Charlie is an accomplished wood carver who carves birds from tupelo wood, birds of all species that look like they could fly away. One is a full size pileated woodpecker, another a quail, a cardinal, a wren, a goldfinch and many others.

There will be another remarkable historian there who is in his 80’s. He is Butch Stone from Arkansas who is a flint knapper. That means he makes arrowheads from flint stone. That day he will show you how to do that, which should interest anyone who would like to learn to make their own projectile points. Butch has made his own primitive weapons for most of his life and has killed deer and wild turkey with his handmade bows and arrows and atlatls. He is a fascinating maker and user of primitive weapons plus a great storyteller of the early days in the Ozarks. Butch has written magazine articles about his experiences and will have some of those magazines for sale.

I can’t say enough about Charlie and Butch, who will be there from mid morning until early afternoon. To get the exact times and a list of for-sale items, contact me and I will mail or email that to you with a map showing how to find us in the woods about two miles south of Houston MO. Again, the date is Saturday, June 28 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The proceeds of the sale will go to pay for displays in the museum that we have yet too make. We are wanting to buy a really big, six-foot aquarium to show the fish and aquatic creatures from the river. I will be there with my books to sign and inscribe and to discount by 30 percent. I now have 12 books on the outdoors.

I love to meet people at my Big Piney Center so I am really looking forward to this. An outdoor writer like me spends most of his time alone on the river or in the woods somewhere, my home is 12 miles from most people.

To get a list of what we have for sale on June 28, email me at lightninridge47@gmail.com. Remember there is no g on the end of lightnin… OR I have a post office box in town, P.O. box 22, Bolivar, MO 65613. If you call our office at 417-777-5227, I will mail you that information.

The list includes fishing gear, valuable wildlife art matted and framed, a brand new Browning 12-guage and two 11-point deer head mounts. I hope you can join us.