Let's Get Musscular!
The Brutal Button Crisis
What is it?
The button craze is the result of the McKinley act of 1890, which made importing goods incredibly expensive. This made many Americans turn inward for goods and commodities. In 1891 to replace European pearl buttons, Americans turned to Midwestern freshwater mussels, more specifically the shells of these animals.
Why did it happen?
In order to attain these animals they were dredged up from the river bed with a hook and boiled. The meat of the animal was sold or thrown back into the water. Then the shell was then sold to factories. The shell was fashioned into knives, cupboard handles, hairbrushes and most popularly buttons.
How did it effect the ecosystem?
The constant fishing of mussels that were suitable for button making, decreased the mussel population. Mussels being a main filter feeder that clean out the water from muck and general small pollution, having a lack of mussels allowed for the pollution to sit at the bottom of the river bed and be stirred up with any movement.
Why was it so widely accepted?
For years mussels were dredged from the bottom of lakes and rivers, and this was accepted because for years, the solution was to "just grow more". What was not understood was just how long mussels take to reach maturity. Meaning that unlike cattle or plants, just waiting to for them to grow isn't effective for the industry.
Are we still feeling the effects?
Yes we are! The constant fishing of the many mature mussels took away the availability of breeding in the wild. Which leaves us with small and vulnerable baby mussels or at least young enough mussels that aren't able to breed as much as the older counter parts.
