Chapter History

Rochester Chapter History

1920s

1925 – Founded with 104 members

1926 – Established the game refuge around the city of Rochester

1930s

1930 – Rented Crystal Springs in Whitewater area for 6 years producing 25,000 to 50,000 fingerlings annually.

1936 – Built log cabin north of Silver Lake.  The 'National Fireplace' is built with stones from the 48 states.

1940s

1940’s – The Rochester Chapter helped convince the State of Minnesota to create the Richard Doerer Memorial hardwood Forest.  The chapter donated $2,000 and 80 acres to the Forest.

1942 – Annual Mulligan Stew began to raise scholarship money.

1944 – Dr. Malcomb Hargraves begins broadcasting radio program “You Are the Outdoors.”  The program ran without interruption until 1972.

1950s

1956 - Dr. Charles W. Mayo deeded the “Mayo Wetlands” located southwest of Rochester, Minnesota along the South Fork of the Zumbro River, to the Rochester Chapter of the Izaak Walton League.  

1957 – The chapter received the national James Lawton Childs Award for outstanding programs among Izaak Walton League chapters.

1960s

1962 – Dr. Malcom Dockerty begins “Operation Woodlot” cutting, splitting and delivering more than 2,100 tons of firewood to raise scholarship money.

1966 – Began awarding approximately $1,500 in scholarships annually.

1970s & 1980s

1977 – The wildlife zoo at Oxbow Park was named after long-time chapter member Dr. Paul Zollman.

1980’s – Operated free program to test private wells for nitrates.

1990s & early 2000s

1990’s – Provide project ideas, technical resources and financial resources to Boy Scouts earning Eagle Scout Rank.  The projects focus on improving the Izaak Walton League Wetland west on Salem Road.

2002 – Renovated cabin and hosted the national convention of the Izaak Walton League of America.

In recent years

2017-2023 - The chapter improved many features of the wetland.  We added an enlarged water feature at the entryway, rebuilt the overflow dam, decreased invasive plants and planted native wildflowers, shrubs and trees, added signage along the trail and tree identification signs.  The chapter collaborated with the Boy Scouts to add a new trail segment and with the Girl Scouts to produce a GPS map of the wetland trails. 

2018 - The chapter made major improvements to its cabin, including replacing windows, upgrading to LED lighting and adding insulation to improve the cabin efficiency. 

2018-present - The chapter has been engaged in biannual water quality monitoring of two creeks in the Rochester area. Data from these surveys is added to the Izaak Walton League Save Our Streams national water quality database, a resource available to share with other groups.

Chapter members have been involved in community issues such as southeast Minnesota trail development, local power plant emissions, protection of the Mississippi River, soil conservation, ground water protection and energy conservation.