Carrie Frost: Fly Fishing Boss – Wisconsin Biographies – PBS Wisconsin Education

How do you make history?

Carrie Frost was a fly fishing entrepreneur who paved the way for other female business owners in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Despite the fact that women could not vote and in many cases could not own property, Carrie Frost created a successful manufacturing company, and she gave over 150 Stevens Point women a chance to earn their own wages in a time when they were not often able to do so.

Meet Carrie Frost

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Questions to Consider

What were the expectations of women during the time Carrie was growing up, and how did those expectations affect her?

How did Carrie’s business change Stevens Point? How did it change opportunities for women in Wisconsin?

Carrie fought against the stereotype that women shouldn’t own and run a business. What stereotypes do you see in the world around you today?

Peek Into the Past

A black and white photograph of Carrie and her father in front of a large white house.

Carrie and Her Dad

Carrie and her father at her farm near Coloma.

Bill Frost Jenkins.

A black and white photograph of a large group of mostly women seated in a grassy area outside, posing for a picture.

Company Picnic

Carrie sits in the middle next to her brother, G.W. Frost, at a company picnic in 1911. Note that all the workers here are women.

Bill Frost Jenkins.

A black and white photo of Carrie standing in front of a building holding up a fish.

Carrie and Her Catch

Carrie holding a German Brown trout caught in the Tomorrow River in 1917.

Bill Frost Jenkins.

A black and white photo of Carrie sitting in a canoe on the water, holding a paddle in her hands and looking towards the viewer.

Carrie on the Water

Carrie enjoyed fishing at Wedde Creek near her farm. Today the farm is owned by her relative, Trace Frost.

Bill Frost Jenkins.

A black and white photograph of Carrie posing with her sister and three friends in a formal room inside a building. All are wearing hats and long skirts, and looking in different directions.

Carrie and Friends

Carrie (standing second from the left) poses with her sister Florence (far right) and three other friends in 1895.

Bill Frost Jenkins.

A black and white photo of Carrie standing in front of a building, proudly holding up a large fish.

Carrie the Angler

Carrie was a skilled angler.

Trace Frost.

A black and white portrait of Carrie in an oval frame. Carrie’s head and shoulders are visible and she looks to the right of the viewer.

Portrait of Carrie

Carrie worked as a school teacher in Motley, Minnesota, and Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

Bill Frost Jenkins.

A black and white photo of Carrie with a smirk on her face, wearing a formal dress. Her head and shoulders are visible and she is looking to the left of the viewer.

Bill Frost Jenkins.

When Carrie retired in 1919, her business was the largest manufacturer of flies in the United States.

Bill Frost Jenkins.

A black and white photo of Carrie standing next to her father in front of trees.

Carrie and Her Dad

Carrie and her father, John Clarke Frost. This photo was taken a few years before John’s death in 1914.

Bill Frost Jenkins.

A black and white photo of two connected brick buildings, one with the name C.J. Frost Fishing Tackle on it, and the other with “Weber” appearing in the windows. A group of women are standing in front of the buildings.

C.J. Frost Fishing

Carrie’s business was eventually purchased by the Weber Lifelike Fly Company which operated into the 1980s.

Bill Frost Jenkins.

A color photo showing a house with brown shake siding, with the street sign showing “Reserve St” and “Jefferson St” in the left side of the photo.

Carrie’s Home

The Jefferson Street house where Carrie and her family lived and where she started the business in 1896 still stands today.

Bill Frost Jenkins.

A piece of paper with the heading, “Neptune Trout Flies” above and “By Ms. C.J. Frost Stevens Point, Wis” at the bottom, with a series of flies attached.

Carrie’s Flies

Carrie eventually included her full name on the ties she sold in stores.

PBS Wisconsin.

A card reading “Miss C.J. Frost, Fishing Tackle Manufacturer” with a series of small metal hooks attached.

Card with Hooks

Carrie eventually included her full name on the ties she sold in stores.

Photo courtesy of PBS Wisconsin.

A black and white photo showing a brick building with C.J. Frost Fishing Tackle on it.

Company Building

The new brick building Carrie had built on Ellis Street to house her growing business. It opened in 1906 with about 97 employees.

Bill Frost Jenkins.

Read On

Carrie Frost portrait illustration

Carrie Frost: Fly Fishing Boss

Get the full story with this biography book. Audio files are available on each page if you’d like to listen along!

Project Credits

Producer
Ian Glodich
Jessie Nixon

Illustration
Stephanie Hofmann

Animation
Ian Glodich
Brandon Ribordy

Animation Voice Over
Tricia Stewart Shiu

Sound Design
Curt Sorensen

Audiobook Narration
Aika Zabala

Audiobook Editing
Kerman Eckes

Captioning
Catie Pfeifer
Vicki Way Kipp

Translation Services
University of Wisconsin-Madison Cultural Linguistic Services

Educator Support Materials
Jessie Nixon
Mia Forslund

Web
John Vieth
Erika Kachama-Nkoy
Tim Schneider

Design
Charles Barrows

Additional Production Support
Philip Ashby
Mike Baron
Holly De Ruyter
Steven Dorchester
Georgia Beaverson
Vicki Pierce

Executive Producer
Megan Monday

Director of Education
Alyssa Tsagong

Director of Television
Jon Miskowski

Story Advisors

Debra Burmeister and her students
Tullar Elementary
Neenah, WI
(2021)

Kaitlyn Beguhl
Section Elementary School
Mukwonago, WI
(2021)

Bill Frost Jenkins

Trace Frost

Jen Ripple

Funding provided by

This project was part of Wisconsin Hometown Stories: Stevens Point funded by major support from Sentry Insurance, Dr. Henry Anderson and Shirley Levine, Marshfield Clinic Health System, Dick Cable Family, Mitzi and Bernie Hlavac, Delta Dental of Wisconsin, Judy Cable Anderson and the John Anderson Postcard Collection, Dr. Henry Anderson, on behalf of the P.J. Jacobs High School Class of 1964, Sue and Jim Buck, Community Foundation of Central Wisconsin, JHL Digital Printing, Tina and Don Peters, Rebecca Wiegand and Marvin VanKekerix, the Ward and Ethel Family Fund, and the Focus Fund for Wisconsin Programs.

Additional support from The Timothy William Trout Education Fund, a gift of Monroe and Sandra Trout, the Focus Fund for Education, and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.