A Real Fish Story:

 

In the summer of 2008, an older gentleman and his adult daughter came in to the Millstone Restaurant and struck up a conversation with the current owner, Tom Fucik...

 

 

 

The gentleman was raised in Iola long ago and seemed very interested and excited about the ongoing process of restoring the mill.  He informed Tom that he had grown up in Iola and his father had worked at the mill.  He recounted many stories of how he would play in and around the mill while his father was working there.  However, his excitement turned suddenly sour when Tom informed him of the improvements made to the foundation of the mill; how the turbine was reconditioned and water was once again moving under the mill in a new and improved channel.  "He lit up once again when I told him about the 'toilet' that I found on the deck over the water."  It seems as though the mill workers would use the toilet under the mill and send their 'packages' downstream.  "He really got excited when I told him that I saved the privy to show the DNR when they came to inspect my work."  "Can we see it, can I show my daughter" he nearly shouted.  As the saying goes, here is 'the rest of the story:'

 

When he was a little boy playing under the mill, he lifted the lid on the privy and spotted a large trout swimming under the 'seat'.  Excited about the sighting, he told his father about what he saw.  His father gave him a fishing pole to see if he could catch it.  Sure enough, he was able to hook the trout and pull the fish out of the hole in the toilet.  For years after that he would tell his daughter as she grew up that he had 'caught a fish in a toilet'.  As a young girl, she believed her father, but had become understandably skeptical through the years.  Here was his chance to show her the evidence!!!

 

And that is a real fish story......real fish, real toilet, real story!   Below is a photo of the 'rescued one-holer'