Click thumbnail to enlarge
Many years ago (before color film and computers), a couple by the names of Joe and Anna Penxa were
instrumental in creating my love of the Pigeon River Country. Distant relatives of mine, their love of trout fishing and
the Pigeon River Country somehow found it's way to me through camping trips on the Pigeon with my parents. A
unique couple, Joe was a Detroit cop who spent his summers camping and fishing the Pigeon, Black and Sturgeon
rivers, and winters tying flies and building split bamboo fly rods. Anna cooked pies and tended to the daily chores of
a homemaker. I can only guess when some of these photos were taken, probably the 1940's to 1950's. I still use
several of Joe's Pflueger Medalist reels and handmade fly rods. Dale Clarke Franz, in chapter 15 of his book "The
Pigeon River Country", tells a nice story about Joe and Anna, and the bad mushrooms Joe mixed with too much
beer! I wish I could have appreciated what they knew while they were still with us.
Photography and web design Copyright © 2009 MIS LLC www.michiganimaging.com. All rights reserved.
No commercial reproduction, adaptation, distribution or transmission of any part or parts of this website or any information contained
therein by any means whatsoever is permitted without the prior written permission of MIS.