Finding Florence

Thursday, 13th November at 6PM

Join writer and historian Haley Prochnow for Finding Florence: Dreams of a River and the Sea, a presentation exploring the life and legacy of Florence Baker Riegel, a pioneering conservationist, community health advocate, and lifelong resident of St. Croix Falls.

Florence’s early studies in marine biology at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, shaped her devotion to science, community health, and the preservation of the St. Croix River Valley. Alongside her husband, Dr. Jake A. Riegel, she founded St. Croix Falls’ first hospital in her childhood home in 1919 after his return from service during World War I. Together, Florence and Jake cared not only for their neighbors but also for the land and waters that sustained them—supporting early efforts of the wild and scenic river movement and helping lay the groundwork for what would become Crex Meadows Wildlife Area.

Born in 1892 to Major Joseph Stannard Baker, a decorated Civil War veteran and one of St. Croix Falls’ earliest settlers, Florence grew up as one of ten children and one of two girls in a family of remarkable men. Her story reflects a deep connection between science, service, and place.

This presentation marks the capstone of Prochnow’s Artist at Pine Needles Residency, a program of the St. Croix Research Station and the Science Museum of Minnesota. During her residency, Prochnow conducted new research on Florence’s life and wrote a short story inspired by Florence’s girlhood and the landscape surrounding the historic Pine Needles Cabin in Marine on St. Croix.

The evening will feature a reading of this work, alongside a discussion of how Florence’s dreams—rooted in both river and sea—continue to echo through the St. Croix Valley today.

Free and open to the public. RSVP Below!