Among the earliest white settlers in this area were Wilhelm F. (William) Zippel and his family, who started a fishery at the mouth of Zippel Bay between 1885 and 1887. By 1909, the small hamlet of Zippel had been established, providing shelter in a storm, food for guests, supplies for area residents, and a post office, though the fishery was its mainstay. Large lake sturgeon, valued for both flesh and eggs, were the fish of choice, packed in ice and transported by boat and rail to cities such as Detroit and New York, and in winter taken to local markets and settlers in the Red River Valley. The sturgeon were caught in square pound nets set in clam beds at a drop-off point, which kept the fish alive even when the nets could not be checked daily. After Wilhelm died in 1916, his sons William and Arthur continued to operate the fishery, and commercial fishing continued until the 1950s, later focusing on walleye as sturgeon became less plentiful.