Turnbull Wildlife Refuge and memories of those who worked there

In the 1880s settlers began to move into this area. About 35 families established homes in what would become Turnbull Wildlife Refuge. President Franklin Roosevelt in 1937 declared 16,000 acres of marshes, wetlands and lakes as the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge.

The farmers who already lived on the property spent a lot of time draining the swampland. They planted and sold hay, hunted and hauled freight.

In 1941 Charlie Proctor became Turnbull’s first manager. Charlie, his wife Ellen, and their two little daughters, Jeannette and Jeanne, lived on what was known as the Finney Place. The thre...