Wetaskiwin District Heritage Museum Centre & City of Wetaskiwin Archives

‘Once Upon a Christmas’ this Magnetic Fish Pond was a best seller in Germany and England under the Spear & Sons game company. The company became Spear Spiel during WWII and rose to infamy with the production of a game entitle “Bombing England.” Later Spear Spiel recovered its reputation when its original Jewish founder returned following property restitution and created Scrabble. It was circa 1890 when this version of a fishing game was released and made a comeback in 1955. The object of the game was to catch as many fish as possible without snagging an old boot or eel. When the children playing the game decided fishing wasn’t enough, rods often became swords, lines entangled, and the magnets frequently found themselves attached to a stray belt buckle or metal button! Archaeological evidence suggests that we have been fishing for over 40,000 years and the Ojibwa were amongst the first to ice fish by chiseling to breach the surface and then employing the spear. If you are feeling like you are swimming upstream in a frozen waterfall this holiday season, take the bait and hang out or shop at the Heritage Museum to get those doodads, baubles, and curious gadgets for your stockings.