Rustic Books LLC
Exploring the Rich History of the CCC & Copper Falls State Park
Mary Schueller
graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and a psychology minor. Added to this foundation was a certificate in technical writing and additional computer classes. However, my most important qualification is a continued passion for northern Wisconsin local history, a genuine love for doing research, and being a voracious daily reader.
“Around 1998, I began researching my father’s service in the CCC and was very surprised that there was nothing in print other than newspaper articles in the Mellen Weekly-Record from 1935. Meanwhile, my research led me to the CCC Work Progress Reports with pictures for Company D-692 found in the National Archives in Washington, DC. At the same time, I became interested in Creative Non-fiction as a writing style and proceeded to fill in the story gaps by physically taking road trips from Virden, IL to Makanda, IL, and then to Mellen, WI, to describe what I saw and then set it within an historical context.”
During a trip to Mellen, I stopped at the Historical Museum and introduced myself to the director, Mary Carol Granberg. We shared a similar vision of getting Copper Falls State Park placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Like peanut butter and jelly, we were a perfect team with Mary Carol providing the Mellen history that I lacked and with me providing the CCC history that she did not have. This project could not have been accomplished without the pictures taken by Kirk Knoll and Jeff Peters, both Mellen residents. In a collaborative effort, Copper Falls State Park was the very first of Wisconsin’s State Park sites to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places (listed September 23, 2005) for its CCC and WPA Rustic Architecture, its contribution to conservation and the significant role it played in Wisconsin Tourism. I wrote the document submitted to the State Historical Preservation Board which is the content of my first book Rustic Reflections of Copper Falls State Park.”
About the Author
- 2016 – Book** Currently writing The Chronicles of the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest for the DNR.
- 2015 –Book, Rustic Reflections of Copper Falls State Park, Second Edition
- 2008 / 2009 – Musical Comedy, Camp We-Kan-Tak-It – Major Grant Recipient from the Wisconsin Humanities Council, Sponsored by Milwaukee Public Theater and Voices Theater of Medford. In a collaborative effort with Rogers Keene, Mary wrote the song lyrics, play dialogue and the CCC and WPA Educational Hand-outs for this project.
- 2007 – Book, My Life to My Children by Jack Vilas
- 2006 – Book, The Soldiers of Poverty
- 2005 – Book, Rustic Reflections of Copper Falls State Park, First Edition
Picnic Theater
The following are original historical plays and presentations written for the Boulder Junction Historical Society’s Picnic Theater for History Day. This is a Chamber of Commerce annual event held the Second Saturday of August during the town’s annual Musky Jamboree. All plays or vignettes are shown with historic power point slides.
- 2016 – Northern Ouisconsin: Land of Ojibwe, French and Beaver will be presented August 13th, 12:30pm SEE FLYER FOR MORE INFORMATION - CLICK HERE
- 2015 – The Waterflier: A Tribute to Jack Vilas, Pioneer Aviator on the 100th Anniversary of His Flight from Trout Lake
- 2014 – The Hand That Rocked the Cradle: The Life and Contributions of Edward M. Griffith, Wisconsin’s Chief Forester, 1903-1915
- 2013 - A Vacation Story: Join Ralphie and His Family on a Vacation to Boulder Junction
- 2012 – Once Upon A Wilderness: The Story of Sam and Ada Williams
- 2011 – Welcome to Camp Crystal Lake
- 2010 – The Waterflier: A Tribute to Jack Vilas, Pioneer Aviator
- 2009 – This is Your Life, Porter Dean
- 2008 – This is Your Life, Dr. Kate
Rustic Books LLC
is the corporate name through which books are written, self-published, marketed and sold by Mary Schueller to tell this important story in The Soldiers of Poverty (the story of Company 696 and D-692) and Rustic Reflections of Copper Falls State Park (the document that placed Copper Falls on the National Register.)
Mary is a licensed book distributor and vendor for the State of Wisconsin. The company logo chosen is a bench made by the CCC that is still present at Copper Falls State Park.
Please Email or call (262-457-2008) if you are interested in a presentation on the content of Mary's three books.
The Cast of
"Welcome to Camp Crystal Lake"
L-R: Leon (Buckshot Anderson), Mary Schueller, Joyce Blaser, Alice Kutchel, and Eric Johnson
About the Company
Writing Projects/Events
mary@rusticbooks.net ~262-457-2008