Art framer William Cushner framed this Robert Eddy watercolor titled Rainbow Flats on the Rising River along with a grouping of flies tied by Robert Facey of Burney, California. Included on the back of the framing is the following handwritten note from Bing Crosby.
Mr. Frey,
We try to keep a log at the ranch of the fishing. Could you fill in some of the blanks – give details on some of your trips as you remember them and listing anglers, etc.?
Sincerely yours,
Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby was a member of a group of several elite fishermen who leased a Rising River property that belonged to John Kerns (later purchased by Wellington Henderson and Ivy MacIntosh in 1968) and the letter is most likely from this time period. The experience prompted Bing Crosby to purchase his own ranch at Rising River in Shasta County, California in 1958. The property was 1350 acres, and he and his family spent many years there. Mr. Arthur J. Frey donated the framed art to the American Museum of Fly Fishing in 1977 and was probably a member of Bing Crosby’s fishing group at the Kerns property. It is unknown if the painter, Robert Eddy has any personal ties to Mr. Crosby.
