THE LEGEND OF BOHEIMYTH, the Cass River Carpelope

Many, many moons ago, back when Bridgeport was just starting it’s identity as a tiny lumber town nestled between greater Saginaw and the German settled Frankenmuth. Back when the waters were blue and the river flowed freely, and the brave young pioneers ventured to find their fortunes in the logging trade, there lived in the waters of the peaceful community, a lovely young carp named Carpelina.

Carpelina was born and raised in the Bridgeport waters of the Cass River, even before the railroad and bridge was built. Carpelina loved the fresh, clear water and as all carp did years ago, she often swam to the surface to bathe in the sunlight and glimpse the beautiful view of the riverbank. But, Carpelina, orphaned when her parents were crushed by the Great Log Jam, was terribly lonely and yearned to swim in other waters in search of new carpmen and new adventures. She traveled up stream, south to the waters of Frankenmuth. But, Der Carp in dat village did not accept her, und dey ver schnobbish den she vas nicht goot enuff for dem. Lonelier then ever, poor Carpelina swam down stream, north to Saginaw. There too, she was devastated to discover that her standard of living was unwelcome simply because her Cass River home was just an unimportant branch of the Saginaw River.

Hopelessly forlorn she floated back to the quiet waters of the Cass River. While swimming near the surface, as carp did in those days, she drifted into a tiny creek and washed up near shore. She must have fallen asleep, because when she opened her eyes and looked up she saw a huge buck staring down at her. Frightened, she tried to swim away, but got tangled in a tree that had fallen in the river. The big buck used his antlers to lift the tree and freed Carpelina from the branches. Carpelina turned to thank him, but he had already disappeared into the woods at the sound of humans who were carrying guns.

The next day Carpelina returned to the same area and swam up to the riverbank to wait for the buck to return to his watering spot. She was delighted to meet him there that day, and came back everyday through the summer. Eventually their friendship blossomed into a love affair. Carpelina no longer wandered away from her home because she was satisfied with the companionship of the buck and the wonderful stories he would share with her about the fields and the forest that surrounded the Cass River.

As the leaves began to turn yellow and red, and the first threat of frost came in the fall, Carpelina explained that she would have to move to warmer waters, but she vowed to return again when the ice melted. Spring arrived, and Carpelina anxiously swam to the watering hole. But the buck never returned. She could only surmise that the buck had not survived the hunting season. Heartbroken, she swam away. Her only consolation was that she would soon be a mother.

BoheimythA few weeks later a son was born, and she named him Boheimyth. Boheimyth was strong and much bigger than the other little carplings. For the first time since she lost her parents, Carpelina was happy and content. But her joy quickly turned to despair when she noticed an unusual growth on Boheimyth’s head. She took him to the Carp doctor, but nothing they did could make the strange bumps go away. Instead the bumps on his head grew bigger and Boheimyth was shunned and ridiculed by his playmates who started to laugh and call him names. As the weeks went by the growth on his head turned into a beautiful set of antlers. But all the other carp called poor Boheimyth the “Ugly Carpling” and treated him as a misfit and a freak. Rejected by the entire carp community, Carpelina and Boheimyth went to live at the bottom of the river away from all the other carp families.

One day, while swimming along the bottom of the river, Carpelina and Boheimyth were visited by the Carp Mayor. He told them that large ships were dumping waste in the river and the other carp were no longer able to safely swim near the surface as they had for generations before. The ships were polluting the waters, and the entire carp community was in danger. When Boheimyth heard this he swam to the top, and patrolled the river. Whenever a threatening vessel entered his waters, he rammed the bottom of the boat with his mighty antlers, puncturing it with holes so the ships could not complete the trip. Eventually, the story spread about the damage that he caused and ships no longer ventured on the Cass River.

Boheimyth became a hero, and when he returned to live at the bottom of the river all the other carp joined him and Carpelina. That’s why today, carp still honor his legend and swim near the bottom of the river.