website watertownhistory.org

ebook History of Watertown, Wisconsin

Watertown Hockey

12 26 1996

As Max Justmann looks out the window of his home overlooking the Rock River, he recalls the old days when the ice would beckon him to lace up his skates. Skating is no longer one of the most popular sports in the city, but the Watertown man recalls when the frozen Rock played host to people all along the river. “I can remember horse races west of the Second Street bridge, ice boats, and boats with runners propelled by airplane engines. We used to skate the whole river, from Silver Creek on Water Street to the Gondolier at the end of Division Street,” said Justmann, 68, who helped start the first hockey league in the city. The local team lasted only four years, and he moved on to skate with championship teams in the state and Illinois.