Back then, a gallon of gas cost 10 cents and you could buy a prime cut of steak for about 25 cents per pound. The year was 1934, and though it was the belly of the Great Depression, not everything was depressing— especially in the mind of O.G. Schmidt.

Schmidt loved to fish. It was a cherished release from the overwhelming difficulties of the time. And while he fished, he dreamed of a different kind of motor—one that didn’t run on gasoline. Schmidt championed that vision to create the first electric-powered trolling motor.

The ensuing Minn Kota brand and the people behind it have since delivered over 10 million trolling motors. Each and every one has been just as important as the first.

Osborne Media, in collaboration with Jason Arnold, created this piece (in the balmy -34º Minnesota weather, mind you) that celebrated the human heartbeat behind one of fishing’s most beloved brands.