Coates Highway entrance to Spirit of the Woods Conservation Club. Photo by Ramona DeGeorgio-Venegas.
This Spirit of the Woods Conservation Club story is our fourth and final installment in our series about local “spirits.”
By Ramona DeGeorgio-Venegas
The Spirit of the Woods Conservation Club was organized in 1939 by a group mostly from Manistee. The sportsmen met at the Elks Club on the west end of River Street. Their first major initiative was to put a weir into Bear Creek at the current clubhouse grounds. This was led by Emil Rengo from Kaleva who was one of many trout fisherman along the creek.
They thought they were putting the weir on Consumers Power land but discovered it was on the property of a local farmer. He then posted it with no trespassing signs, so club members were faced with their first genuine problem. The club was able to purchase the 40 acres from the farmer at a fair price, and posterity was provided with a beautiful stretch of stream.
Much of the early work at the site was done by the Civilian Conservation Corps or Roosevelt’s CCC. The corpsmen lived in an encampment in Brethren, so it was most convenient for them to do the construction of the weir. Later, many local families augmented their protein source by dipping suckers at the weir.
After the end of World War II the CCC camps were closed and the buildings sold or destroyed. The Conservation Club obtained the mess hall from the Stronach CCC camp and R.G. Lagerquist moved it to the current location on club property. This was not uncommon, and R.G. moved many buildings during the 1940s and ’50s. The building is named Lagerquist Lodge; we still meet there today.
The weir was removed in the late 1960s but the clubhouse remains. The property still provides respite for fishermen, hikers and nature lovers. The old Coates Highway Bridge is now a foot bridge, and the highway runs north of the property, not through it.
I’ve been a member since the 1990s. Club highlights include the summer day/field camps for youth, our autumn banquet and raffle fundraisers and guided hikes on the property’s trails. We improved the quarter-mile trail along Bear Creek to be the first accessible trail in Manistee County more than 20 years ago.
An early member, Virgil Rose, had been saddened when a fourth grader in a wheelchair could not go on the trail for the wildflower walk. Several members worked to harden the trail. We received donations and raised funds to pave it. Today this paved route makes it possible for those with mobility challenges or baby strollers to enjoy the trail. Small accessible fishing platforms were also added on the creek along this path.
The club is open to the public for day use and offers picnic tables and a fire ring in addition to the trails and fishing platforms. Please only build fires in the designated fire ring. Thank you for packing out your trash and used line, and for not leaving fish entrails on the grounds.
Our focus is on helping youth and creek lovers to learn to be responsible stewards of our natural resources.
We depend upon volunteers and donations to maintain the facilities and operate our camp and family activities. Recent projects include installation of new professional signs, protecting turtle nesting sites, clearing trails and planting trees to reduce streambank erosion.
If you’d like to join, attend a meeting or donate to our club, please go to: https://facebook.com/SpiritoftheWoodsConservationClub.
Ramona DeGeorgio-Venegas is a retiree of the Manistee Ranger District, Huron-Manistee National Forest, where she worked in recreation and as an outdoor recreation planner.
