St. Croix Riverway Time and the River: A History of the Saint Croix

CHAPTER 4:
Up North: The Development of Recreation in the St. Croix Valley (continued)

Logging's Demise, Recreation's Rise

When the logging era ended, the St. Croix Valley became more reliant upon tourism. In June of 1914, the last log was sent down the boom at Stillwater and by 1920, its population had dropped from twelve thousand to eight thousand residents. [117] However, even before logging officially ended, residents of Marine Mills decided to take charge of their fates and joined with other river villages in the Improvement Club of St. Croix Falls and the Commercial Club of Taylors Falls "to restore the most beautiful, scenic river in the world to its old time steamboat navigation." [118] In July 1908, the Stillwater Messenger noted the growing desirability of the St. Croix River for summer enjoyment:

Afton is becoming noted for its beautiful location as a summer resort and its next-to-nature charms is making it envied by all who see it and are influenced by ‘the call of the wild,' when the grass and flowers begin to make the world beautiful in the spring time. In fact, we often wonder why any place on Lake St. Croix is not the ideal place for summer homes — notably almost any spot between Stillwater and Afton. [119]

In 1910, the Stillwater Gazette added to the growing enthusiasm when it predicted that, "It will be but a few years before the banks of the St. Croix are dotted with summer homes. [120] Many residents of the Twin Cities did begin building summer homes north of Stillwater. "Dedicated fishermen and small-boat owners," wrote James Taylor Dunn, "they all wanted to identify themselves with the river and become a part of its life. [121]

That same summer World War I began and inadvertently boosted tourism in the valley. "It is human nature to look for unusual things in far off places," a tourist brochure of the period noted, "hence the American has become as great a Globe trotter as his English cousins. But in these days when foreign lands are closed to him. . .it might be well to call to his mind that right at home he can find places full worthy of his time and attention. . .many thousands of people living right in this region. . .have never taken the trouble to visit the wonderfully scenic and historic part of this territory known as the St. Croix River Valley." [122]

Nevers Dam -- a remnant of the logging era -- was still an imposing presence on the river and inadvertently contributed to the recreational attraction of the St. Croix. Its fifteen gates created a fifteen-mile flowage. Fish and ducks readily found a home in its placid waters as did boats with fishermen and hunters who were ready to make sport of them. The dam had served as a wagon bridge across the St. Croix when it was built in 1890 by the Milwaukee Bridge & Iron Works. The only other means to cross the river in the area at that time was the Sunrise Ferry upriver from the dam site. Once tourists in their automobiles descended into the St. Croix River Valley after World War I, the dam bridge facilitated this new business until it was washed away in May 1954 and completely removed in 1955. [123]

Many of the folks in the St. Croix Valley, however, were not going to give over their favorite fishing and picnic spots to outsiders. A tradition had developed among residents from Hudson and the Willow River area that when the river opened up for fishing in the spring "every able-bodied man and boy in town would spend the night along the Willow." By the 1910s and 1920s, most of the cottages along the Willow River belonged to residents of Hudson and were built by families and their friends. The land belonged to a local farmer who was unwilling to break up his farm. To accommodate the local fishermen, he leased the land for ten dollars a year. Camping was free, and many families slept in tents, and many a Hudson boy spent his summers sleeping under the stars along the Willow River. The intimate relationship of the cottagers here is illustrated by the story of one fisherman from St. Paul. "Sandy Quosbarth, a veteran Scottish trout fisherman," headed a group of fishermen from the Minnesota city. Sandy soon bought out the other cottage owners in the fishing club, and for the next fifteen years he and his wife became beloved members of the Willow River and Hudson community. [124]

The building of summer homes on the St. Croix was the most tangible sign of the new way the river was appreciated in the wake of logging's decline. A summer hiatus from the din and noise of the cities became the norm for many Americans at the turn of the twentieth century. In his noted book, Nature and the American, Hans Huth documented the growing practice of ownership of country estates and summer homes for average Americans. "Most of the winter-weary townspeople, by going to a resort or to their own country homes, or even by visiting city parks and participating in some kind of summer sport," Huth writes, "could find respite from the city during the sultry months. For these summer pleasures the northern part of the country as far west as the Great Lakes was the favorite section." The St. Croix Valley became a prime destination for those seeking country delights. [125] One such place was the Albert C. Heath Summer Residence on Arcola Trail next to the Soo Line Bridge near Stillwater built in 1911. It is within the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway, and was put on the National Register of Historic places on February 12, 1980. It was, however, destroyed by an arsonist-set fire in 1986 and lost its status as a registered site. The original grounds included a clay tennis court and three trout ponds and trout breeding tanks, which was not uncommon in an area of fishing enthusiasts. In 1922, the Croxsyde summer home was built eight miles north of Stillwater. It was placed on the National Register on June 3, 1980 both for its rustic log construction and as an example of the transition to recreation in the St. Croix River Valley. It too is within park boundaries, but is privately owned. It, too, once had two trout ponds and a stone hatchery. [126]