Documents Index
Documents 1,2, & 4 can be toggled between 2 screen sizes by left clicking on the document
002 - Deed for Hotze, Hardie, & Harkins to purchase 143.5 acres - 1937
003 - Quit Claim deed used during Hotze, Hardie, & Harkins land purchase - 1937
004 - Deed for sale of 143.5 acres to John & Shirley Roesch - 1943
I could really use some assistance in putting together some more of the pieces of Mossy's history and the farm surrounding Mossy. Documents 2 & 3 seem to indicate a party named Uthoff owned the farm sometime after Collier owned it and before my grandfather along with a couple of his friends purchased it in 1937. I had never in my life heard the Uthoff name mentioned. I always thought John Collier owned the farm up until at least the 30's when my grandfather bought it. Some of the pictures that Bill has been so kind to offer us, shows his father standing with John and John's son out in the yard. I also thought I remember my dad mention the name Clyde Collier. Maybe I'm mistaken about that name.
Does anyone else have any information to share? Did Frank Haug pass any pictures or information about Mossy along to anyone? Does anybody know when the first logbooks like we keep today at the cabin were kept? What a treasure it would be to be able to read about trips taken to Mossy during the first half of this century. I would bet my bottom dollar that members stopped and fished or swam off of Crane Island near the "Big Rock" back in 1904 on a hot summer day just as we all do today. It may not have been called Crane Island back than but I bet they sat around the cabin and talked about the fishing up at the big rock below the cave. I bet they also discussed their floats from Riddle bridge and stopping to fish at the big Twin Rocks. What a struggle it must have been to get those old 200 pound wooden John boats from the boat landing up to the "Put In". I heard my Dad say that he never saw a man that could duplicate John Collier's ability to pole those old John boats right up the river and through the rapids. I wouldn't doubt that he took many trips all the way up to Twin rocks & higher with nothing but a long oar.
I think since we lost the logbook with the wooden front and back covers, the earliest logs we now have are from the early 1970's. Thanks in advance for anybody who has any old documents or pictures to offer to be scanned to include as part of this website. I think I mentioned this elsewhere on this site, I will be happy to provide CD's to Mossy member families that will have this whole website on them. jkh 10-18-2002