The Villa at Camp St. Michael - Salvatorians

"THE VILLA"

at Camp St. Michael

On the grounds of Camp St. Michael, on Fish Lake in Wisconsin near the village of Hancock, about forty-five miles west of Oshkosh, there was a large "Villa" which served as a summer-time residence for the Camp Director, Chaplain, kitchen staff, and some of the counselors who weren't housed in the "Sleepy Hollow" dorm cabin with the campers. During the remainder of the year, the Villa served as a "get away place" for members of the Society of the Divine Savior (Salvatorian Priests and Brothers) and an occasional retreat spot for our smaller communities.

The Villa, along with the rest of the camp property, had originally been owned by Elmer Huckins, a wheeler-dealer from the late 1920's who ended up dying in federal prison after being convicted of masterminding "swindling" deals along with his son. The Camp staff often told the campers made-up tales about Huckins being a "gangster-wannabe" who tried to align himself with Al Capone's crime syndicate in Chicago, and that Capone had often stayed in the Villa. There is no documented evidence in our Archives, however, to suggest that Capone ever visited the Villa or that he even knew Huckins. But the stories were fun anyway! That's all part of a summer camp experience!

Below, you'll see the original real estate photos taken of the Villa and two newspaper articles about Camp St. Michael. The first article, from the Milwaukee Sentinel (October 1954) is about the sale of the property to the Salvatorians and some information about Elmer Huckins. The second article (undated) is from the Hancock-Coloma News. It is about the summer camp itself, again with some information about Huckins. The camp closed and was sold in 1969. The large Persian rug you'll see in the living room photos is now part of the decor of our Salvatorian Sisters' Archives in Milwaukee.

IMILWAUKEE

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1954

Salvatorians Buy Huckinst Big Estate

The quarter million dollar $65,000, . was revealed when It Jerome. said,. and will have fa- County, and he also was p~ 1

Fish Lake showplace built by was recorded with the Register cilitles for about 100 boys, There master and secretary of a loan

Elmer Hucltins. the Middle of Deeds of Waushara County. are a number of buildings on company. He wasn't too succesi

West's master sWindler of the

the px:operty, Including the big ful.So he went to Chicago a "

la.te '20's. has been bought by HELD 1ST MORTGAGE

house built by Huc.kins . in his tried seiling jewelry ;c;.nd ? cas

the Salvatorians, the celebrated The Salvatorians purchased palmy days.

registers. Then he w~nt to Cleve

religious order at St. Nazianz, the property from Robert Baker The Salvatorians have begun land where he promoted a wheel '

Wis.

of Hancock, Wis., son of ?the the work of painting and re_corporation. That went bank-

The 161-acre estate will be late Ben B. Baker, wealthy Him- furbishing buildings that need rupt.

I used as a summer camp for cock lumberman, who had held it. They plan to build a chapel NOT ORDINARY TYPE

?1 boys from all over the state, a first mortgage of $171,000 on and a dining room.

. .

. . 'J??

and may possibly be used also the estate and took it over about Pa.rt of the. estate was oper- It was 1923, when Hucklq

as a novitiate, according to Fa- 1930, after the Indictment of ated as a girls' camp for sev- was 57, hardly the age for e~~

ther Jerome, the provincial of Huckins and his son, George. eral yep.rs ,during the Baker barking on new ventures. ~t.

the order.

The boys' camp wiII start op~ .ownership: ending in 1952. Some Huckins. wasn't. the , ordli:1arY

sh The sale. for an estimated erations next summer, Father of the reSIdences on the proper- type.. Dlstingu!:shed In appeal"!

ty have been occupied.

ance, affll.ble In manner,

quickly )Jripressed 'people an

2 MILLION COLLARS

won their liking. .

-:'

Huckins, the original owner of The "throw out" bUsiness .48

the handsome estate, must have dreamed up bec1!,me ,a gold mIW

picked small

the pockets at: a host of investors in 'Wisconsin,

Ttohe.bueilldderhHisu?? cdkrienasmthmeannwslaosna?~blall

Iowa and other neighboring Fish Lake, load it'with Oriep.~~ states to the extent of at least rugs and?equip it in the most eX- .

2 mllIlon dollars,accordlng to pen!;lIve and up-to-date mannel!:

federal authorities.

He also had a suite a:t

The Huckins' business ' opera- Shorecrest Hotel In Milwauk

. tlons were rather vague; not to and an ? apartment In ?Chlc , .

. ' say veiled in mystery. ' B.ut the ins son, George, who ~~if J

Investors didn't care. ? Huckins a dull career behind a di

was paying 26 to" 52 per cent counter in Cedar Rapids, -la:. B.C

interest. He didn't have to qillred a fleet of cars; ?a ?:$40,0Q9.

solicit customers. They came to home of his own an,d the Cedar him, begging for the chance to Rapids baseball franchise in (h ~

invest.

old Three-I League. .

./ '

The story was they ho.d a . But the -blow finally .fen;. big deal with cigar manufactur~ Federal and state author.lth!sin

ers for "seconds" or "throw 'Vis?consin, IllinoiS, :!r:tlcblgan.

outs" and resold them to job- and lowa were investtiattng i1:l"

bers at a huge profit. No one 'arflung ? operations ~ otfa~r'

bothered to check with the cigar and son.

.

!., .

manufacturers until the bubble Elmer finally was ctlarged i.n .

broke in 1929 and some inves- Federal Court In 1929 witn'??

tors got nervous as postal using the malls to defraud, ?but ' .

authorities. bank examiners and the charges were dismissed when

the press began to inq;Jire into authorities were unable to find

this fab.ulous business.

out the nature of the Huckins

NEVER Hl!:ARD OF HIM

business.

" . Actually, the cigar manufac 15 YEAR SENTENCE

turers never heard of the After a series of court bat

"throw-out" deal and never tles, Elmer was finally -con

heard of Huckins, so they testi victed and sentenced in 1935

fied later in court.

to 15 years in Leavenworth pri

Apparently all Huckins had son and fined $10,000. He died

done was use the old dodge of there after serving three y~ars

, paying dividends or interest out of the term.

time . ot the capital invested by his George was tried three times. dupes, many of whom were so He was conVicted the first

eager, to pile up ?riches they and then granted a retrial. Bur

sent even those dividend cheCks the jury disagreed and the third

Huckins was dapper and unbowed when this picture wa.!!

back for re-Investment.

trial ended the same way: ;He

?? BacKabout 1900, Elmer Huck died In jail at Anamosa, Ia., !n

. i~s was running a crossroads 1932 while awaiting a fogr~

taken in 1933 ,just outside the waiting door of hIS cell. grocery store at Pittsville, Wood trial. He was 42.

THE HANCOCK-COLOMA NEWS ,

.Sf. Michael's Boys Camp LocafedonSife

Once Owned by Fasf~Talking Specu/afor

Hi\NCOCK -A camp for boys, facilities and excellent counseling. The place was purchased in the quarter. For a while he paid the'

operated by the Salvatorian Fa During their stays at the camp mid?1920's by Elmer S. Huckins, a fantastically high ' dividend rate, ' Ihers of SI. Nazianz Seminary, is \Joys lake part in riflery, archery, smooth?talking speculator who had but only with money receive~ from

ncaring the end o[ another busy hilndicraft, swimming, . boating, grandiose dreams of accumulating subSequent inveslors.

.

season. Hundr' ds of bo'ys, ages 8 water skiing and overnight camR' a fortune and 'planned his country . Inevitably the bubble burst, the

to 18, many of Ihem from out of outs. At least twice a week meals estate to he a filling home lor a business failed and creditors [ore?

sl ilt e, are not happy thaJ. Ihe sum- are served ouldoors befote a camp millionaire.

.' closed on the estate. The mortgage

IT'er sea,on is drawing 10 a ciosc. fire .

lie chose an unlikely enterprise, holder took over the property, and

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download