Friends present A Visit from Will Dilg
The Friends of the Refuge Headwaters (Friends) invite you to a special performance of A Visit from Will Dilg, presented by Steven Marking in an inspiring one-man stage production. The 50 minute performance will be followed by an informal Q&A with Steve and members of the Friends of the Refuge Headwaters. The presentation will be held on Thursday, May 8, 2025 at 7pm at the Winona County History Center. Doors open at 6:30pm. Tickets will be sold at the door (check or cash only). The cost is $15 for Friends members or $20 for non-members. Attendees will be invited to join the Friends at the event. (Or join here.)
Will Dilg was a summer resident on a boathouse in Winona and an avid bass fisherman. After suffering from the drowning death of his only son in 1920, Dilg rose from the depths of depression to lead an extraordinary national environmental crusade by forming the Izaak Walton League. He discovered that there were plans to drain and clear cut the backwater lands and install levees on the entire Upper Mississippi River. So, he shrewdly sought the support of the Women of America and together they saved a 261 mile stretch of Mississippi River backwaters from drainage for agriculture by forming a great national preserve, our Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. What we have today was accomplished by Will Dilg and his followers in 11 months, culminating in the signing of the bill by President Calvin Coolidge on June 7 of 1924.
Steven Marking created a script that relies heavily on Dilg’s own published words. The beauty of the native flora and fauna of the refuge are featured as a backdrop for this extraordinary and inspirational show. Run time is 50 minutes, followed by a Q&A.
Steven Marking is a world class baritone and Riverlorian. He was recently featured on PBS This American Land Season 12, episode 4 as The Riverlorian, which can be seen on PBS passport. Much of his Riverlorian work is for American Cruise Lines, as he enhances the cruises of the onboard guests on the Mississippi, Cumberland, Tennessee, and Columbia and Snake Rivers. The hallmark of Steve’s performances is a blend of entertainment, education, humor, and art. Steve created A Visit from Will Dilg for the Centennial Celebration of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. Learn more at stevenmarking.com.
A Visit From Will Dilg Director’s statement:
“When I started working for American Cruise Lines, I thought the whole Mississippi River must look somewhat like where I grew up along the refuge. But I was very wrong. The significance, beauty and unique ecosystem we are blessed with diminishes below Davenport and Rock Island. And on the Lower Mississippi River there isn’t even aquatic vegetation to be found due to constantly shifting water levels in a river pressed between levees. The levees have turned a magnificent ecosystem into an industrial shipping corridor, with little regard for Mother Nature. Even with its many ecological issues, the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge remains a paradise compared to the river below it.
“This is the story of our country’s first successful large scale grass roots environmental campaign. It became the tipping point from draining wetlands to preserving wetlands. The name Will Dilg should be synonymous with John Muir and Aldo Leopold. He sold our modern conservation movement to the American People.
“When I started out to tell this story, I didn’t realize it would have all the elements of our greatest of American stories. The downfall and loss of his only child to drowning in the Mississippi river, the challenge of reversing the political and economic juggernaut that was taking our wetlands, the rallying of the sportsmen across the country, the speedy alliance he made with the American women, and the successful passage of legislation that everyone said could not be accomplished.”