Paul Senior, guided by indians, used to travel by boat from the island to Portage by way of the Fox River to get supplies. In the early years they farmed part of the island.  Their children had to go across the lake by boat or barge to attend the nearby country school. Sometimes they traveled  by horse and buggy or a Model T to go across the Dead River on the back side of the Island and throughthe marsh to get to Montello.

In the later years neighbors and relatives use to bring their steers and young stock to summer on the Island. They would be taken across by barge and put in the fenced off area to graze. In the early fall they would be rounded upand brougnt back off the Island by barge.  This is how Pauland Minnie madetheir money. They also rented out boatsat one time, so people could fish in the area.  According to Raymond Zacharias people would pay $.50 to ride across on the barge and fish from the banks.  To  take your car across to fish was $1.00.  Later prices were raised. To rent a boat was $5.00 a day. There are Indian Mounds on the Island so partsof it cannot be worked or dug up.