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.
To fulfill the demand for quickly locating and searching documents.
It is intelligent file search solution for home and business.
Related download
- the villa at camp st michael salvatorians
- city of bayfield
- property owners association 1146 west wisconsin homes
- camper bill of sale form
- recreational vehicle purchase agreement
- seasonal campsite agreement
- zoning ordinance city of hayward wisconsin
- landlord tenant guide wisconsin department of
- 91 certificate of title 21 wisconsin department of
- main street car wash
Related searches
- the retreat at west creek
- the notch at west creek
- the center at sierra health
- sermons on the woman at the well
- the mall at steamtown
- books of the bible at a glance
- positive thought for the day at work
- jesus and the woman at the well
- commentary the woman at the well
- kjv the woman at the well commentary
- story of the woman at the well
- the woman at the well sermon