Rivers of a Lost Coast

A letter December 19th, 1955

We heard about Charlie Marcum while talking to a bartender in Monte Rio. We were “fishing” (excuse the pun) for information about Bill Schaadt. Like most people the bartender laughed and shook his head while talking about Bill. He threw out a few names and told us Charlie Marcum had collected a couple boxes of Bill’s stuff in the days after his death. We’d already heard about the sadness and mayhem that occurred in those first weeks after Bill passed. Close friends and neighbors shifted through the masses of junk and discarded equipment Bill had become famous for collecting. Local school kids and teenagers ravaged the property when friends weren’t around. Eventually crews were called in to clear the property.

We met Charlie at his house in the back road hills of the Russian River. His collection of gear and memorabilia was spread across the living room when we arrived. Like a schoolboy at show and tell, he jumped from item and item giving bits and pieces of the stories of each photo, reel, drawing, and letter.

Around the side of his house Charlie had a collection of old wooden signs, Schaadt had painted back in the 40s and 50s; that at one point used to line the roads and resorts of the Russian River. The paint was peeling, mold veiled the wood but the artistry was beautiful.

We spent the better part of an afternoon with Charlie. One of our favorite finds was a handwritten letter from Ray Purcelli to Bill dated December 19th, 1955. In the letter, Ray thanks Bill for his generosity and assistance in rekindling his own lost passion for fly fishing. The words are sincere and indicative of the influence Bill had on countless steelhead and salmon anglers over the years.

The letter ends with Ray’s inquiry about “the great shad fishing on the Russian River”, a fishery that is now nearly completely defunct.

We encourage you to follow the link below to view the letter in its entirety.

View the letter here.