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How One German Button Maker Searched the Rivers of the American Midwest for the Shells That Could Make Him a Fortune

Summary by Smithsonian Mag
John Boepple settled in Muscatine, Iowa, where he produced pearl buttons made from freshwater mussel shells. His innovations brought economic prosperity to the town—and disaster to the local mussel populations

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Smithsonian MagSmithsonian Mag
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How One German Button Maker Searched the Rivers of the American Midwest for the Shells That Could Make Him a Fortune

John Boepple settled in Muscatine, Iowa, where he produced pearl buttons made from freshwater mussel shells. His innovations brought economic prosperity to the town—and disaster to the local mussel populations

·United States
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Smithsonian Mag broke the news in United States on Thursday, June 25, 2026.
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