WILD RIVERS CONSERVANCY OF THE ST. CROIX AND NAMEKAGON:

The Wild Rivers Conservancy of the St. Croix and Namekagon origins began with the St. Croix River Improvement Association, a volunteer group that operated sporadically from 1911 to 1989. Its members were mainly residents of communities along the Minnesota side of the St. Croix River, who were concerned about restoring and preserving the river. Over the years, the Association's major areas of concern included maintaining a navigable flow of water, barring construction that could have a negative impact on the river, ending pollution of the river, and gaining federal protection for it.

The St. Croix River Improvement Association (SCRIA) was organized on September 27, 1911, at a meeting called by George H. Hazzard, the first commissioner of Interstate State Park, with the initial goals of improving the river's navigation and connecting it to Lake Superior via a canal. During the early years of the organization, Hazzard, who was chosen as its first president, oversaw its mostly futile efforts to stock the river with fish, to clear hazards created by the lumbering industry, and to restore a navigable flow of water.

Although the SCRIA apparently became inactive at the end of Hazzard's tenure in 1919, the issues it had tried to address remained concerns for the communities along the river and the group was reactivated in 1928 at the instigation of Samuel G. Strickland, a member of the original SCRIA. The organization renewed its battle with Northern States Power (NSP) to maintain the flow of water over the dam at St. Croix Falls, worked to end commercial fishing on the river, advocated the removal of debris from highway construction along the river, and made plans for reforestation and prevention of soil erosion and pollution.

From 1935 to 1941, the SCRIA focused on deepening the river channel, fighting a plan to create public parks on islands and along the shoreline, and dealing with the growing number of rough fish. World War II seems to have slowed the organization's work, for it appears not to have met between September 1941 and October 1945. Enthusiasm for the group was rekindled under the influence of Mary Jane Leonard and, on October 31, 1947, it was reorganized as the St. Croix River Association. During the late 1940s and through the 1950s, the group concentrated on pollution, the Osceola bridge proposal, water safety, and conservation.

During the 1960s, the SCRA actively opposed the construction of an NSP power plant at Oak Park Heights and supported the inclusion of the St. Croix in the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Its work helped ease pollution concerns in the 1970s and the SCRA continued its conservation efforts into the late 1980s.

In 1986, James Taylor Dunn, former president and secretary of the SCRA, published a short history of the organization, Saving the River: The Story of the St. Croix River Association, 1911-1986, to celebrate its 75th anniversary.

In 2021, the St. Croix River Association changed its name to the Wild Rivers Conservancy of the St. Croix and Namekagon to reflect its broader goals to meet the diverse conservations needs of both the St. Croix and the Namekagon Rivers.

Historical information on was taken from Saving the River and the association's records.

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The records consist of correspondence, minutes, reports, newspaper clippings, copies of press releases, legal case materials, drafted resolutions and ordinances, project and subject files, audiovisual materials, ephemera, and other miscellaneous papers documenting the organization, which was concerned with conservation of the St. Croix River Watershed.

The main topics covered by the papers include: shooting of waterfowl, "rough fishing," commercial vs. sport fishing, fishing with artificial lights, control of blister rust, restocking the river, water level problems, opposition to building private seaplane docks, the elimination of railroad service between Hastings and Stillwater, water and boat safety, construction of natural gas pipelines in the area, dredging operations, the construction of a Northern States Power Company plant at Oak Park Heights, and the efforts of the SCRA to secure approval of two Senate bills relating to the St. Croix (the Wild River Bill [S.1446] and the St. Croix Scenic Waterway Bill [S.897]).

Also in the collection are minutes of the Lower St. Croix Management Commission and the Minnesota-Wisconsin Boundary Area Commission, records regarding the creation of the St. Croix Watershed Network, and correspondence and other papers relating to the publication of James Taylor Dunn's Saving the River.

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These records are organized into the following sections:

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Access Restrictions:

Digital acquisitions are unavailable until processed.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Wild Rivers Conservancy of the St. Croix and Namekagon Records. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession numbers: 8045; 8060; 10,342; 11,118; 12,576; 13,683; 13,748; 13,900; 14,352; 16,542; 17,877

Processing Information:

Processed by: Candice L. Hart, September 2000; Leif Kopietz, July 2022

Processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with a Basic Project grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

Catalog ID number: 990017138320104294

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Includes the constitution and by-laws of the St. Croix River Association, and correspondence from St. Croix River Association Presidents.

From 1917 to 1935, most of the correspondence is between John W. G. Dunn, vice president of the SCRIA, and officials of the Wisconsin and Minnesota departments of conservation, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the U.S. Corps of Engineers. Issues covered include shooting of waterfowl, "rough fishing," commercial vs. sport fishing, fishing with artificial lights, control of blister rust, restocking the river, and water level problems.

From 1938 to 1966, materials include correspondence, reports, copies of press releases, and newspaper clippings. The main topics include those noted above as well as opposition to building private seaplane docks, the elimination of railroad service between Hastings and Stillwater, water and boat safety, construction of natural gas pipelines in the area, dredging operations, the construction of a Northern States Power Company plant at Oak Park Heights, and the efforts of the SCRA to secure approval of two Senate bills relating to the St. Croix (the Wild River Bill [S.1446] and the St. Croix Scenic Waterway Bill [S.897]).

From 1967 to 1988, materials include correspondence, reports, copies of press releases, membership lists and newspaper clippings. Issues covered include bridges, pollution, surface regulations, installation of a weather observatory at the Wild River State Park visitor center, and the federal bills noted above.

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The St. Croix River Association (SCRA) minutes from 1928 to the late 1980s cover the same issues noted in the correspondence in the previous series. Those from 1928 to 1951 are photocopies of the originals, which are held by the Washington County Historical Society. The minute books from 1952 to 1981 also contain newspaper clippings, announcements, reports, and photographs.

Another set of minutes files covers the years 1980, 1997 to 2011, and 2019, and includes Board minutes and various ad-hoc, subcommittee, special event, project minutes, and related planning materials.

The minutes of the Minnesota-Wisconsin Boundary Area and the Lower St. Croix Management Commission, two agencies that directly affect the management of the St. Croix River, are also included.

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Project implemented by Martin Kellogg of the Voyageurs Region National Park Association, which sought funding from The McKnight Foundation Upper Mississippi River Project to establish the St. Croix Watershed Network, an informational network or directory of stewards for organizations concerned about the conservation of the St. Croix Watershed.

Materials include project proposals, articles of incorporation, correspondence, minutes, and articles.

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Includes court cases the St. Croix River Association was involved in and resolutions and ordinances drafted by the organization.

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The correspondence and miscellaneous papers consist of one folder of fund raising and distribution information, reviews, and press releases, and a second folder containing correspondence to and from James Taylor Dunn, background materials collected by him, and publication details.

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The Minnesota Historical Society also holds the papers of George H. Hazzard, the first president of the St. Croix River Improvement Association, and the papers of Save the St. Croix, Inc., another organization that worked against construction of the Northern States Power plant at Oak Park Heights and for the designation of the St. Croix as a National Scenic Waterway.

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Bridges -- St. Croix River.

Conservation of natural resources -- Minnesota -- Citizen participation.

Conservation of natural resources -- Wisconsin -- Citizen participation.

Wild and scenic rivers -- Minnesota.

Wild and scenic rivers -- Wisconsin.

Fishery law and legislation -- United States.

Natural gas pipelines -- Saint Croix River (Wis. and Minn.)

Rivers -- Law and legislation -- United States.

Fish stocking -- Saint Croix River (Wis. and Minn.)

Places:

St. Croix River (Wis. and Minn.)

Namekagon River (Wis.)

Document Types:

Photographs.

DVDs.

CD-Rs.

Persons:

Burns, Robert W., author.

Cass, J. Edward, author.

Dunn, James Taylor, author.

Dunn, John W. G. (John Warner Grigg), 1869-1941, author.

Fraser, Donald M. (Donald MacKay, 1924-2019.

Humphrey, Hubert H. (Hubert Horatio), 1911-1978, author.

Karth, Joseph E. (Joseph Edward), 1922-2005, author.

Leonard, Mary Jane, author.

Muller, George A., author.

Mondale, Walter F., 1928-2021, author.

Nelson, Gaylord, 1916-2005.

Rolvaag, Karl F., 1913-1990, author.

Severance, Cordenio Arnold, 1862-1925, author.

Surber, Thaddeus, 1871-1949, author.

Thexton, Wallace A.

Ueland, Sigurd, 1893-1975.

White, Helen M. (Helen McCann), 1916-2008, author.

Wilson, Chester Sawyer, 1886-1983, author.

Organizations:

Izaak Walton League of America. Chapter 46 (Prescott, Wis.), author.

Lower St. Croix Management Commission, author.

Minnesota. Department of Conservation, author.

Minnesota-Wisconsin Boundary Area Commission, author.

Northern States Power Company (Minnesota).

United States. Army. Corps of Engineers, author.

United States. Bureau of Fisheries, author.

Wisconsin. Department of Conservation, author.

Titles:

Saving the River.

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