The Dane County Historical Society holds many of Walter E. Scott’s papers. Scott (1911-1983) was a well-known naturalist inducted into the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame in 1995. He also had a penchant for preserving local history and was one of the founders of Historic Madison Inc.

This extensive collection includes three scrapbooks, presumably compiled by Walter Scott, consisting primarily of newspaper clippings. Together these three scrapbooks document the controversial public efforts as they played out in local newspaper coverage to establish the Cherokee Marsh, an environmentally critical part of the Yahara River headwaters, as a public conservation park.

Included in one of the scrapbooks are these photographs taken on August 16, 1962, by the Wisconsin Conservation Department, presumably by a staff WCD photographer (WCD was a precursor to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources established in 1967.) Some photos were taken from an airplane, some in a small rowboat, and others from the shoreline. Photos taken by the Wisconsin Conservation Department are in the public domain.

The clipping scrapbooks also included 27 photographs taken by the Wisconsin Conservation Department of Cherokee Marsh, dated August 16, 1962. (WCD was a precursor to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, established in 1967.) Some photos were taken from an airplane, some by a rowboat, and others from the shoreline. To see these photos go to Recollection Wisconsin and search for the Dane County Historical Society to see these beautiful photos and many other highlights from our collection. Future plans include digitizing the three scrapbooks of newspaper clippings documenting in great detail the debate as it brewed to
create this public conservation park.

View the digitized Walter E. Scott Collection here.

The Wisconsin Historical Society has more resources on Walter E. Scott here.