The city of Gloucester is 27 miles northeast of Boston on the Massachusetts bay, 5 miles southwest of cape Ann. It is an old, old city, the first white people living here in 1623. The first permanent settlement was not made, however, until 10 years later. Just outside its harbor is the Reef of Norman's Woe, celebrated in Longfellow's "The Wreck of the Hesperus." At present Gloucester is a well-known summer resort. It has a population of about 25,000. Its chief industry centers about its fisheries. For a long time Gloucester led every other port in the United States in its annual catch of fish. At present it ranks second, with Boston in first place. In it port are gathered fishing vessels especially fitted for voyages to the fishing grounds in the New England waters and in the waters of the Grand Banks. Cod, halibut, haddock, blue-fish, mackerel, and herring are the principal kinds of fish caught. The view shows how codfish are preserved in the sun. The vessels, usually owned by companies, unload their catch in the store houses on the piers. These houses are fitted up to clean the fish. The heads are chopped off, the entrails taken out, the fish are salted, and put out on platforms to dry. Gloucester Harbor is shown in the middle distance with the city in the background. Codfish sometimes grow to be as much as 5 feet in length. The fish usually caught, however, are very much smaller. They are greenish or olive colored on the back and the sides, mottled with dark spots. They are a good food fish, although bony. During the spawning season which is from November to April, they approach the coast in schools. This is the fishing season for the men of Gloucester. Keystone ID: 20221 Note: All titles, descriptions, and location coordinates are from the original Keystone Slide documentation as supplied by the Keystone View Company. No text has been edited or changed.