Henry Somsen: A great love of outdoors
By Doug Smith, Star Tribune
ROCHESTER -- At 97, Henry Somsen still has a firm handshake, sharp mind, wry sense of humor and a solid memory.
Over the decades, he has put his money where his heart is -- in the outdoors.
A longtime philanthropist, conservationist, hunter, angler and park advocate from New Ulm and Rochester, Somsen was instrumental in helping establish Afton State Park on the St. Croix River near the Twin Cities and Grand Portage State Park in far northeastern Minnesota. He also helped expand the state's wildlife management area system and provided wildlife viewing blinds in two other state parks.
The retired attorney, who lives in an assisted living facility in Rochester, was honored this week by the Parks and Trails Council of Minnesota for his efforts on behalf of Minnesota's natural resources.
Better late than never.
"He's just been absolutely instrumental in helping to create these places over the past 50 years," said Dorian Grilley, executive director of the Parks and Trails Council. "He has built a legacy that will benefit generations of Minnesotans to come."
Somsen has served on the board of directors of the Parks and Trails Council for more than 50 years and was one of the seven founding members of the Minnesota Parks Foundation, a land acquisition group that later became part of the council.
Somsen is a modest man who never has sought attention for his conservation efforts, friends say.
"He's generous and genuine and unassuming; he's not out for the glory at all," said Lee Markell of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, who has worked with Somsen over the years. "He just wants the parks to be enjoyed and the wildlife to be enhanced."
Somsen demurs when asked how much has contributed to various projects over the decades. "I've tried to be supportive," he said. "You wish you could do more. I've been an outdoor person all of my life. I've had wonderful experiences. I just thought it was a good idea to have some of our best lands put aside so everyone could use them."
Afton State Park
One of Somsen's greatest contributions was his involvement in the creation of Afton State Park. He and six other founding directors of the Minnesota Parks Foundation pooled their money and bought 827 acres of prime land on the St. Croix River in 1968, which later became Afton State Park.
"It was sure a good purchase," he said.
Said Grilley: "Afton is one of the most special places in the St. Croix River Valley. If they hadn't acted when they did, Afton State Park wouldn't be there."
Somsen's donations also helped the state acquire 120-foot High Falls on the Pigeon River -- the highest falls in the state -- which later became part of Grand Portage State Park.
An eye for wildlife habitat
Somsen, an avid duck and goose hunter, owned land and a duck shack on Swan Lake, historically one of the state's premier waterfowl lakes. Proceeds from its sale were used to acquire crucial waterfowl habitat near Swan Lake.
And when the DNR needed to expand the East Side Wildlife Management Area in Rochester to build a water-control structure, Somsen bought the land and donated it to the agency.
He also donated a 49-acre tract near New Ulm to the DNR. It's now the Somsen Wildlife Management Area.
A trip to Wales prompted Somsen to make a suggestion to the DNR that bore fruit for state wildlife watchers.
"One of the things we saw was a wildlife observation blind," Somsen recalled. "People liked it very much. So when I got home I wrote the DNR and asked them why we don't have anything like that in Minnesota. They said, 'Good idea, how about giving some money?' " he recalled with a grin. "So I did."
Somsen paid for observation blinds at Maplewood and Glendalough state parks.
A long life
Somsen is well-known in New Ulm, where he was born and raised. He got his law degree from the University of Minnesota in 1934, married his wife Anne in 1936, and had two children. He's been a board member of many nonprofit organizations and founded the New Ulm Area Foundation in 1987.
He and his wife moved to Rochester in 1985; his wife died a couple of years later.
"I was very, very lucky -- my wife hunted and fished with me my whole life," he said.
Somsen pored over old photo albums at his apartment recently, recalling fishing and hunting trips from long ago. He's fished all over Canada and Minnesota.
"I haven't fished now for several years, and that's sad." But he recalled his last catch, a brook trout, fondly.
"I've had a wonderful life," he said. "Lots of good times fishing and hunting."
Doug Smith • dsmith@startribune.com