Several miles to the west of the original Tibben farm lies the twisting Schuylkill river. Like many Dutch men before them in Europe, the calling of river commerce compelled the Tibbens to abandon the old farm after Sibilla's death; they built a Shad fishery on a river island amongst the rocky, sloped river banks. Benjamin, Michael1 and John Tibben wade together in two feet deep water of the Schuylkill river. Misquotes often hovered around them. The entire year's business came down to a few weeks of back breaking work during the spring. The Tibben's eyes gazed down the river in anticipation. Their focus occasionally switched to the rocky river slopes, the forested plateau and clouds hanging over the old Tibben farm. Flowers, green spring plants and budding leaves briefly entertained their eyes, but their gaze soon focussed back downstream.…show more content… The spring sun shines strengthened in the sky. A few bald eagles soared across the sky, looking closely for any sign of a new fish meal, circling in the same pattern with the wind. For centuries, Indians waited like the Tibbens in April for the tidal wave of life to flow up the river. The show began at the mouth of the Schuylkill river; A huge mass of fish grew, until the river rose four feet high, extending for almost a quarter mile wide some years. The men take deep breaths as the Shad finally arrived. The fish swam until their bodies turned to waste, sacrificing all to lay the eggs of the next Shad generation. Even all the Tibben fishing nets will not block their invasion. The surge of life soon transformed Michael and Benjamin's island into a fish factory. The Tibbens firmly anchored Seine nets to their fishery island. The nets caught the fish by the hundreds, their flat bottom boat becoming their final resting
