Thank you to Tod Drescher of Marine on St. Croix for sharing the hand-drawn maps and poem below.

Drescher explains: “I drew up this map in the early 1980s when I worked at Wilder Forest Camp & Educational Center. I led a two day overnight ‘River History Canoe Trip’ for about a dozen kids. We canoed from Franconia down to Marine, stopping at Knapp’s Cave and camping out on Otis Island by the old rotating train bridge.”

Drescher designed Camp Wilder near Marine on St. Croix as his architectural thesis for a degree at the University of Minnesota in 1979 and then worked at the innovative camp from 1980-1985. It was open 365 days of the year and served over 500 different youth and adult groups. Tod says, “I loved working there.” Drescher operates a private architecture firm today.

Wilder Forest ceased operating as a camp in the early 2000s. The land was sold to the Manitou Fund in 2023 and part of the site is used by River Grove Elementary School.

In addition to the maps, Drescher shared a poem about the river, written in the late 1980s. He says it was from when he and musician Larry Long started the “St. Croix River Revival” as a branch of the Mississippi River Revival.

Thanks again to Tod for sharing his memories and creative works!