On this Fourth of July some 50 to 60 years ago, my family would head for the Bosque Co. relatives for the wonderful 4th of July Picnics that were held. Many of the relatives looked forward to the cat fish that would be caught by the method of ‘knoodling. The Bosque River bed was of limestone, and many dark caves under the water, where these very big catfish lived and slumbered. Many of these fish lived to be very old as you can tell by the pictures below. The men usually wore heavy work type gloves, but some of the older men, would not wear them. The fish would be located, and the men would submerge and catch the fish by hand usually in the gills, if lucky. Many a scarred and scratched hand came up with the catch of the day. Usually this was done in the middle of the day, when it would be very hot, and the fish stayed in their ‘little cubby holes’.
Then the fish were strung on a long pole until the men felt that it was enough for the huge fish fry in the back yard of the Rube Rachuig’s on the Bosque River, or in town at Aunt Hilda Krueger’s home just outside Clifton, at the time. The men would clean the fish, and cut it into great slabs of fillets, and then the women would fry them in the old iron wash pot filled with boiling hot lard. It would fry to a crispy cornmeal coating on the outside, but deliciously cooked through and through on the inside. Of course, there was plenty of home made sauerkraut, potato salad, homemade dill pickles, fresh tomatoes, onions, slabs of fresh home baked bread, fresh churned butter from the farm, piled high in the butter dish, fresh yard eggs, jams and jellies from the orchard, home cured hams and bacon, canned vegetables from the garden and the goodies afterward of cookies, pies and cakes. MMM makes my mouth water even now. Can you imagine the daily work there was for farm families back then? Yet, their time was managed so well that they always were free, except for milking daily, on the weekends for family and church on Sunday and 84 domino parties with friends and family on Saturdays..
The men drank the favorite beverage of the German families, beer, some of the time it was home brewed and bottled. (Dad even put up his own beer during probation of the 1920 and early 30’s. Mother still had his capping device long after he died. One year, his batch of beer blew up and exploded all over the place.)Uncle Will Krueger, also provided home brewed grape wine and peach brandy. (Uncle Will never gave out his recipe for peach brandy before he died, which everyone loved to have before bedtime.) Nehi orange and strawberry, root beer and Grapette for the kids, and most likely tea, but the cold sodas were the preferred drink for the younger ones.
The younger cousins would all love to go down to the river to swim when we were out at the Rube Rachuig’s. Laughing and splashing around. Then back to the yard to play under the huge oak trees in the yard. It was always so shady and cool in the yard, as in those days there was no air condition, just the oscillating fans in the house to use at night.
Those were the good ole’ days and most all of them are gone now, but the memories flow back into my memory this Fourth of July in Texas 2009.
Julius Rachuig, Jack Belcher, Walter Rachuig, Hugo Schulz, Edgar Rachuig, and Bernhardt "Ben" Schulz.
Bubbie Rachuig-Sally Ann-Mayme Ruth-Uncle Walter Rachuig and catfish.
Fourth of July 1946 ‘Knoodlers’:Mr. Bertelsen, Jack Belcher, Herbert Rachuig, Ed Rachuig, Will Krueger, Sr., Ivan Holz, Charlie Lamb and Walter Rachuig.
Aunt Huldina Ekkert Rachuig-Alvina Beyerstedt 1935.
Rachuig ladies and friends 1935:Huldina Rachuig, Hilda Krueger, Alvina Rachuig, Dorothy Krueger, Ruby Rachuig, Mildred Rachuig.
Dorothy Krueger-Mildred Rachuig 1935.
Leonard Dave Rachuig, Unknown Rachuig, Mayme Ruth Rachuig, Dorothy Krueger, Sally Ann Rachuig, and Mildred Rachuig; in the Bosque River by Uncle Rube Rachuig's place 1934
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