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Saint Croix Falls in Polk County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
 

Gaylord Nelson

 
 
Gaylord Nelson Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Keith L, October 15, 2008
1. Gaylord Nelson Marker
Inscription. Gaylord Anton Nelson (1916–2005), known worldwide as the founder of Earth Day, was the son of a country doctor and a nurse. Born the third of four children on June 4, 1916, at Clear Lake, Wisconsin, 28 miles from here, Nelson canoed the Namekagon and St. Croix rivers as a boy. Plans announced in 1964 for a new power plant on the St. Croix River spurred Nelson, a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin at the time, to believe the riverway deserved federal protection. Although the power plant was ultimately built, the controversy stimulated the passage of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 1989. Designation of 102 miles of the St. Croix River and 98 miles of the Namekagon River created the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, the first such riverway east of the Mississippi.

Nelson held elective office for thirty-two years, including two terms as Wisconsin governor (1959–1963) and three terms in the U.S. Senate (1963–1981). As senator, Nelson was an environmental leader, working to protect the Appalachian Trail corridor, implementing a National Trail System, ban the pesticide DDT, established the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, pass the Wilderness Act, and founded Earth Day. Twenty million people, 10 percent of the American public, participated in the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970.

When Nelson received
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the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1995, President Clinton proclaimed, "As the father of Earth Day, he is the grandfather of all that grew out of that event: the Environmental Protection Act, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act." Gaylord Nelson died on July 2, 2005, at the age of 89.
 
Erected 2006 by the Wisconsin Historical Society. (Marker Number 504.)
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: EnvironmentParks & Recreational AreasWaterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #42 William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton, and the Wisconsin Historical Society series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1865.
 
Location. 45° 24.93′ N, 92° 38.753′ W. Marker is in Saint Croix Falls, Wisconsin, in Polk County. Marker can be reached from East Massachusetts Street west of North Washington Street (Wisconsin Highway 87), on the left when traveling west. Marker is in the parkway south of the National Park Headquarters, between River Place and North Hamilton Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Saint Croix Falls WI 54024, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Where are the Falls? (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); River Spirit (approx. 0.2 miles away); Thompson–Boughton Mill
Gaylord Nelson Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Keith L, October 15, 2008
2. Gaylord Nelson Marker
(approx. 0.2 miles away); Where Are The Falls of the St. Croix? (approx. 0.2 miles away); Saint Croix Falls Hydroelectric Project (approx. 0.4 miles away in Minnesota); The Battle of St. Croix Falls (approx. 0.8 miles away); St. Croix Falls Lions Park (approx. 0.8 miles away); Chisago Hotel (approx. one mile away in Minnesota). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Saint Croix Falls.
 
Also see . . .  Biographical Directory of the U. S. Congress - Gaylord Nelson. (Submitted on December 31, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.)
 
Nearby National Park Headquarters image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Keith L, October 15, 2008
3. Nearby National Park Headquarters
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on December 30, 2019. It was originally submitted on December 28, 2008, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 1,555 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on December 28, 2008, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 19, 2024