Owatonna Izaak Walton League

On January 14, 1922, fifty-four visionary sportsmen met in Chicago, Illinois to discuss an issue of common concern: the deteriorating conditions of America's top fishing streams. Uncontrolled industrial discharges, raw sewage, and soil erosion threatened to destroy many of the nation's most productive waterways. At the same time, valuable wetlands were being drained, important wildlife habitat was being destroyed, and the country's forests and wilderness areas were disappearing quickly. The group decided to form an organization to combat water pollution and protect the country's woods and wildlife. They named the organization after Izaak Walton, the 17th-century angler-conservationist who wrote the literary classic, The Compleat Angler. The Owatonna chapter was formed in 1926.