Wabash River Pearl Industry

by: Sadie and Brooklynn S

In 1905 the Wabash River had a booming pearl industry.  The headquarters for the pearl dealers was in Hutsonville, Illinois, but most people bought their pearls from nearby Vincennes, Indiana.   At the time, most small pearls were selling for $3 to $50.  People came from all over the world to buy the pearls from the Wabash.  Some of these places were: Budapest, Paris, Spain, and Bukhara. 

    Once along the Wabash River there was a wives tale that the Wabash Rivers pearls were the queen's pearls because they were so beautifully rounded.  This story probably came about after a man named W.D. Burd bought a pearl in 1908 for $1,200.  He told everyone that he planned to put it in a setting for some court jewels in Europe.