While mussels' shells are rugged-looking on the outside, their insides are beautiful pearly purples, pinks and whites. As settlers moved west and towns sprung up along major Midwestern rivers, mussel shells became important in the garment and jewelry industry, said Bryan Simmons, terrestrial/aquatic ecologist for the state Department of Wildlife and Parks.

Shells were harvested and shipped to factories, where they were turned into buttons and jewelry. This became a major industry along eastern Kansas rivers such as the Verdigris. Waste button shells also were used in building foundations and bases for sidewalks and roads.

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