RUSH LAKE — The mission is clear and the record of success impressive.
Susan Richardson, right, greets Abby Bahn, her daughter, Reagan, 3, and husband, Taylor, at the start of the Nepeuskun Anti-Horse Thief Association’s annual luncheon in Ripon earlier this month. Horse thefts today are rare, but the annual oyster stew luncheon and potlucks bring the community in southern Winnebago County together. The Bahns have been longtime members and paid $5 for Reagan's lifetime membership in the association.
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Susan LaBuda, treasurer of the Nepeuskun Anti-Horse Thief Association, has been in charge of making the oyster stew for the organization's last five luncheons. The stew has been served at the events for 135 years, first at in an upstairs meeting hall at J.A. Schrader General Merchandise in Rush Lake. This year's event was held at Vines & Rushes Winery, a few miles north of Ripon.
The Nepeuskun Anti-Horse Thief Association was established during the Civil War to prevent and track down horses that were being stolen and sold to the U.S. Army at Camp Randall in Madison. In later years, horses were stolen and sold to logging companies in Wisconsin's North Woods. These horses live on a farm just north of where the association held its annual meeting Jan. 16.
Attendees of the Nepeuskun Anti-Horse Thief Association’s annual luncheon carry tableware and dishes to pass as they arrive at Vines & Rushes Winery for the annual meeting.
A sign outside the Nepeuskun Town Hall promotes the Anti-Horse Thief Association. The last horse reported stolen to the association was in 1964.
Nepeuskan Anti-Horse Thief Association president Les Achterberg holds leftovers from the group’s annual luncheon during a fundraising auction. The money is put toward the following year's event and helps to buy the oysters for the stew.
A large photo of J.A. Schrader General Merchandise in Rush Lake hangs on a wall at Vines & Rushes Winery north of Ripon. The store was the meeting place for the Nepeuskan Anti-Horse Thief Association’s annual luncheon from the 1880s to the early 1960s.
Photos: The annual oyster stew luncheon of the Nepeuskun Anti-Horse Thief Association
The Nepeuskun Anti-Horse Thief Association was established during the Civil War to prevent and track down horses that were being stolen and sold to the U.S. Army at Camp Randall in Madison. In later years, horses were stolen and sold to logging companies in Wisconsin's North Woods. These horses live on a farm just north of where the association held its annual meeting Jan. 16.
Nepeuskan Anti-Horse Thief Association president Les Achterberg holds leftovers from the group’s annual luncheon during a fundraising auction. The money is put toward the following year's event and helps to buy the oysters for the stew.
Attendees of the Nepeuskun Anti-Horse Thief Association’s annual luncheon gather for the potluck event in Ripon, Wis. Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Susan LaBuda, treasurer of the Nepeuskun Anti-Horse Thief Association, has been in charge of making the oyster stew for the organization's last five luncheons. The stew has been served at the events for 135 years, first at in an upstairs meeting hall at J.A. Schrader General Merchandise in Rush Lake. This year's event was held at Vines & Rushes Winery, a few miles north of Ripon.
The history of the Nepeuskun Anti-Horse Thief Association is documented in archived newspaper articles at the home of group treasurer Susan LaBuda in Ripon, Wis. Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Susan Richardson, right, greets Abby Bahn, her daughter, Reagan, 3, and husband, Taylor, at the start of the Nepeuskun Anti-Horse Thief Association’s annual luncheon in Ripon earlier this month. Horse thefts today are rare, but the annual oyster stew luncheon and potlucks bring the community in southern Winnebago County together. The Bahns have been longtime members and paid $5 for Reagan's lifetime membership in the association.
A sign outside the Nepeuskun Town Hall promotes the Anti-Horse Thief Association. The last horse reported stolen to the association was in 1964.
Attendees of the Nepeuskun Anti-Horse Thief Association’s annual luncheon carry tableware and dishes to pass as they arrive at Vines & Rushes Winery for the annual meeting.
Susan LaBuda, treasurer of the Nepeuskun Anti-Horse Thief Association, delivers a report on the group’s finances during an annual luncheon event in Ripon, Wis. Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
A large photo of J.A. Schrader General Merchandise in Rush Lake hangs on a wall at Vines & Rushes Winery north of Ripon. The store was the meeting place for the Nepeuskan Anti-Horse Thief Association’s annual luncheon from the 1880s to the early 1960s.
Barry Adams covers regional news for the Wisconsin State Journal. Send him ideas for On Wisconsin at 608-252-6148 or by email at badams@madison.com.
