Bright with silver

by Kathrene Pinkerton

Bright with Silver describes the rise of the United States ginseng and fox farming industries through the story of the Fromm brothers of Hamburg, Wisconsin. The Fromms began their lives at the turn of the century as impoverished farmers and rapidly grew into the world's largest ginseng and fox farmers, making tremendous discoveries along the way, including the canine distemper vaccine. The book chronicles their business successes through the 1950s.

364 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1947

About the author

American writer, born Kathrene Sutherland Gedney.
She earned a BA from the University of Wisconsin in 1909. After her marriage to fellow writer Robert E. Pinkerton, the couple moved to the wilderness of northern Ontario (Canada), where they stayed for five years. They then moved to Colorado and later California before going to live on a boat off of the British-Columbian and Alaskan coasts from 1924-1931.
Pinkerton died from cancer at the age of 80 on September 6, 1967 at the New York Infirmary.

Reviews

[Isaak Solum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is absolutely a great book. The determination of the Fromm boys is second to none. They don’t let anyone stand in their way and they do everything they can to get what they want.
Several years ago I toured the Fromm factory and it was super cool to read their story after seeing everything in person.
The book itself is well written and goes into depth about the finances and the markets that the Fromm’s were dealing with. When reading this book you also need to understand that it was written in 1947. So there are a couple things that readers may find unsettling. However just read over it and remember it’s an old book and move on.
Great book! Highly recommend!

[Cheryl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok, I started to read my mother's copy and got not far in before I was really questioning her judgement. So I asked her. And she says "Oh, yes, I did love it the first time I read it, years ago, I think because of the brothers working together, but I reread it a few months ago and didn't like it at all, I don't recommend it, and you can throw it away because the historical society has a few copies and doesn't want this."

Published in 1947: too recent to open with blatant racism. And the boys don't hesitate to mooch off neighbors for ginseng plants and information, without giving anything back. And the fake endorsement of a lure in order to win a prize reminds me of fake reviews here on GR. And the historical information is not pleasant to read about, how the father had fixed plans for the boys occupations, how the girls aren't worth mentioning, how it was an amazing event when Mother spoke up. And the thing about "Henry loved the beautiful, intelligent, graceful foxes and was obsessed with the idea of penning, breeding, and slaughtering them for fur." History of an almost Machiavellian idea of success, I guess. Enjoyable reading, no bloody way.

Pictures of a factory farm of thousands fox pens, and others of piles and piles of pelts, really bothered me too. Hunting for meat is one thing, farming for luxury is entirely different.
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One of my mother's "Ideal Bookshelf" books. Hard to find now, of course. And judging by the description, I wonder why she likes it. Probably simply because of beautiful writing, maybe because of local interest, too, as she's lived in Wisc. for 5+ decades.

Otoh, the description at Open Library does make it seem much more appealing... a family epic historical fiction kind of thing....

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great story of four young brothers from a small town in the middle of Wisconsin who had a dream. They were determined to do whatever it would take to make their dream happen. Despite starting with nothing, odds stacked against them, and many obstacles along the way, they persevered and, not only met, but exceeded their goals. Along the way, they became responsible for creating best practices, inventing machinery, and solving animal health issues. An incredible American success story.

[Cathy Miller-Temme · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fromm brothers were amazing in their dedication to develop ginseng culture, the silver fox coat color as well as mink color mutations. This is a mammoth story of 4 young brothers who loved the woods and the creatures around their homestead in north central WI and how they built an empire that was supportive of nature's processes and the rural community in which they lived.
They were responsible for the development of a vaccine that protected foxes from the lethal encephalitis virus as well as a vaccine for distemper virus that went on to become a foundation in the protection of our canine companions from that deadly disease.
When the Great Depression affected the US economy, Fromm farms were able to continue to employ hundreds of men and women. That employment included three hot meals each day and even lodging for many. Many families had 3 generations that loved working for the Fromm operations.
A school on the property had 1st-8th grades, and is still educating area children. One of the brothers and his wife set up a scholarship fund in the 40's with the goal to provide funds to those attendees who graduated from high school with a 2.5 GPA and were intending to go on to either a tech school program or the university system. That scholarship has continued to aid hundreds of students. When we took a tour of Fromm Fox Farm this fall, our volunteer guide was one of the beneficiaries of the program. She was giving back by volunteering there.
The book is inspiring and the reality has led to the Farm, though no longer involved with raising fur or ginseng, being on the list of Historical Places worthy of Preservation.

[Sue Eloranta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone in Central Wisconsin should read this. Great history and amazing brothers