Lumber baron established sixth state park
Local historian Teddy Moranek discusses how lumber baron Martin Pattison donated over 600 acres of land to Wisconsin in 1917-1918, creating Patterson State Park, the sixth state park in Wisconsin. Pattison's gift was motivated by his desire to preserve the natural beauty of the Manitou Falls and prevent a power dam from destroying them, and included strict conditions about conservation and wildlife protection that would revert the land to the Masons if violated.
Summary
In this episode of Archivedive, reporter Terri Kiddo interviews historian Teddy Moranek about the origins of Patterson State Park near Superior, Wisconsin. Moranek explains that the park was named after Martin Pattison, who was Superior's wealthiest resident and the owner of the Fairlawn Mansion. Pattison initially made his fortune in lumber in Michigan and Northern Wisconsin, but his greatest wealth came from iron ore mining in Northern Minnesota. In late 1917, Pattison purchased over 600 acres of land that included Big Manitou Falls (the fourth highest waterfall east of the Rockies and Wisconsin's highest) and Little Manitou Falls, then donated the property to the state. Moranek describes how Pattison's motivations were deeply personal rather than self-aggrandizing. Pattison had lumbered in the area and grown to love it. He learned that a company was planning to build a hydroelectric dam on the Black River that would destroy the falls, so he sought out the property owners and purchased their land specifically to preserve it. In his speech before the Superior Commercial Club in early 1918, Pattison revealed that he understood the original owners' deep attachment to the property, with one family having owned it for 60 years. He believed the land needed to be saved and donated it to the state with several conditions: the property could not be sold, the state must preserve and protect it, wildlife and fish must be protected, hunting and fishing were prohibited, and the waterfalls must be protected. Notably, if the state violated any of these conditions, the entire property would revert to the Order of Masons, of which Pattison was a devoted member. The state officially established it as a park in 1920, but development was slow due to lack of funding. A 1920s promotional booklet acknowledged there was little reason to visit, with minimal facilities beyond pit toilets and piped water. The situation remained largely unchanged through the 1930s until the Great Depression. Franklin Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), officially established in 1937 but organized earlier, brought significant development to Patterson Park. The CCC built trails, roads, and proper facilities, transforming it into a functional recreational area. Since then, the state has continuously improved the park, including making it handicap accessible in 1979 and repairing extensive damage from devastating rainstorms in 2018 just before the park's 100th anniversary in 2020. The park has grown from its original 600 acres to over 1,400 acres through subsequent state purchases. Today, Patterson State Park is a major attraction with over 200 bird species, 54 mammal species, and hosts events ranging from Wisconsin cattle breeder conventions in the 1940s to Shakespeare performances. Pattison lived only about a year after donating the land and even purchased additional property to add to the park before his death. Moranek notes that Pattison's respect for Native American heritage was evident in his recommendation to use the Native American name "Manitou" (meaning Water Spirit) rather than Black River Falls.
About this episode
<p>For this month's episode of "Archive Dive," we look at a special place for residents and visitors in Douglas County: <a class="Link" href="https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/pattison/history" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Pattison State Park.</a></p> <p>Telegram reporter Teri Cadeau is joined by local historian and retired librarian Teddie Meronek as they dive into the history of the state park, which was named for Martin Pattison, a wealthy lumber baron and miner who had also been the Douglas County sheriff and mayor of Superior. Pattison and his family lived in what is now known as <a class="Link" href="https://www.superiortelegram.com/news/local/listen-to-archive-dive-revisiting-superiors-historic-childrens-homes" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Fairlawn Mansion and Museum.</a></p> <p>Pattison knew an area about 12 miles south of Superior with spectacular scenery and waterfalls. He'd eventually buy it, but not for personal use.</p> <p>"He had lumbered out there and near the falls," said Meronek. "I thought he had just bought up the property because he was rich and he could do that."</p> <p>In an effort to prevent a power dam from being built on the Black River, which would have likely destroyed Big Manitou Falls, Pattison bought 660 acres from several landowners along the river.</p> <p>"He knew about the falls, and he said the older he got, the more that area meant to him. The beauty of it, and he didn't want it destroyed. He thought that he needed to save it, and he did."</p> <p>In 1918, he donated the land to the state of Wisconsin. Two years later, in 1920, the state dedicated it as the sixth state park and named it for Pattison.</p> <p>Pattison State Park now contains over 1,400 acres, including both the Big Manitou and the Little Manitou waterfalls. "Manitou" is an Indigenous word, and Big Manitou Falls is also known as "Gitchee Manitou," meaning "great spirit." It has the distinction of being Wisconsin's highest waterfall at 165 feet.</p> <p>In many ways, what we see and appreciate today can be credited to Pattison himself, who died at the age of 77 the same year he donated the land.</p> <div class="Enhancement"> <div class="Enhancement-item"> <div class="GoogleDfpAd-Content"> <div class="GoogleDfpAd-Lazy" id="Lazyload-googleAd0dc7effa-5372-4ff9-82f4-4c65c6bfef44"> <div class="GoogleDfpAd" id="googleAd0dc7effa-5372-4ff9-82f4-4c65c6bfef44"></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p>"He did it because he really loved this place. He wasn't born in this area, but it was his adopted home, and he just thought that everyone should enjoy the beauty that was out there in those falls," said Meronek.</p> <p>In 1935, the Civilian Conservation Corps began overseeing the park and would help preserve it and make improvements.</p> <p>Other topics in this episode include:</p> <ul class="rte2-style-ul" id="rte-dc0e0990-abaf-11f1-9505-a95898f48722"> <li>How Pattison ended up in Superior.</li> <li>What conditions did Pattison have attached to the land when he gave it to the state?</li> <li>Did Pattison donate additional land?</li> <li>How President Franklin D. Roosevelt helped shape the park's future.</li> <li>Events held at the park.</li> <li>How the state park bounced back after storms in 2018.</li> <li>Animals in the park.</li> </ul> <div class="Enhancement"> <div class="Enhancement-item"> <figure class="Figure"><source type="image/webp" /><source /></figure> <p><em>Episodes of "Archive Dive" are published monthly. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. </em> <a class="Link" href="https://www.superiortelegram.com/podcasts/superior-telegram-archive-dive" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Episodes</a> <em>are edited and produced by Duluth Media Group digital producer Dan Williamson. If you have an idea that you'd like us to explore, email Teri Cadeau at [email protected].</em></p> </div> </div> <div class="Enhancement"> <div class="Enhancement-item"> <div class="GoogleDfpAd-Content"> <div class="GoogleDfpAd-Lazy" id="Lazyload-googleAdfd0f3776-dcfd-4458-9a60-8413ee281f20"></div> </div> </div> </div>
Key Insights
- Martin Pattison's wealth primarily came from iron ore mining in Northern Minnesota, not lumbering as commonly assumed, though he remained emotionally connected to the lumber industry that first brought him north.
- Pattison purchased the land from existing owners specifically to prevent a hydroelectric power company from building a dam that would destroy the waterfalls, demonstrating his conservation motivation predated the national park movement by several years.
- Pattison's donation included an unusual legal provision requiring the state to maintain specific conservation standards, with the entire property reverting to the Order of Masons if the state violated conditions regarding hunting, fishing, wildlife protection, or waterfall preservation.
- Patterson State Park remained largely undeveloped for over a decade after Pattison's 1918 donation due to lack of state funding, with only pit toilets and minimal amenities until the CCC began work in the 1930s.
- Pattison demonstrated respect for Native American heritage by recommending the park use the indigenous name 'Manitou' rather than 'Black River Falls,' an environmentally conscious stance unusual for the Gilded Age robber barons of his era.
Topics
Transcript
Hello and welcome to Archivedive. I'm Terri Kiddo, a reporter with the Superior Telegram. Each month we dive into files on historic events, people, and places in Superior and Douglas County with local historians. This month we're venturing into the history of Patterson State Park and how it came to be with local historian, Teddy Moranek. Welcome, Teddy. Thank you, Terri. All right. So tell me, so you said that there was a different name that was supposed to originally be the full name of Patterson. Yeah, I guess I learned so much researching this podcast. I've always taken Patterson Park for granted. It's always been there. Did I know who it was named after? No, no idea. If I'm…
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