History Note - Week of August 6th

Big Timber Pioneer, August 7, 1941

FIVE THOUSAND ATTEND COOKE CITY FISH FRY

COOKE CITY, Aug. 3.—An estimated crowd of 5,000 visitors milled through this historic old mining town nestled in the rugged Beartooth mountains Sunday as the twenty-fifth Cooke City fish fry was held.

Sixteen hundred rainbow trout, weighing an estimated 700 pounds, were fried out of doors and served to some 1,600 or 1,700 persons, William W. Thayer, president of the Cooke City Commercial club, said.

The annual event was held in perfect weather and the thousands of visitors gave the little town a holiday atmosphere. Many of the persons attending the fish fry visited Yellowstone park either en route here or on leaving Cooke.

Thayer said that it was likely the largest crowd ever to attend the event since it was started in the early 1900s. Five cooks, a fireman and 14 waitresses were kept busy around the large outdoor fireplace dishing out the rainbow.