In 1916, Henry Dills, Carl Heinzerling, and George Schulthess established the Creek Chub Bait Company, which became one of the country's leading manufacturers of artificial fishing lures. Crafted by a largely female workforce, its high-quality lures featured a patented spray-painted scale pattern and metal lip that gave them a lifelike appearance and motion to help attract fish. The company shipped products all over the world and became a key industry here. Popular lures included the Wiggler, Pike, Darter, and Injured Minnow, and many fishermen used them to catch record-setting fish. Business slowed during WWII as European supply markets closed, but grew rapidly in the post-war years. The factory closed by 1979, and the lures remain popular among collectors.