Harvest of Geese Photograph courtesy Henry Public Library, Henry, Illinois
Market Hunters were local residents who lived off the river, and whose livelihood included the harvesting of ducks and geese for the commercial markets that served the shops, restaurants, and hotels of cities such as Chicago and St. Louis.
Sport Hunters included wealthy businessmen who formed clubs and bought land along the Illinois to start duck hunting resorts managed by local residents. This local investment, while privatizing some land, led to auxiliary businesses and services that employed many citizens of the area - for instance boat builders, decoy carvers, gunsmiths, and guides. Local recipes for duck have been handed down from the 1920s.
