St. Francis Area Schools

Steven Marking plays Will Dilg in an inspiring, one-man movie entitled A Visit From Will Dilg. In the early 1920’s Will Dilg’s only son drowned in the Mississippi River at thier favorite vacation spot, Winona, Minnesota. Dilg rose up from the depths of depression and mourning to become a tireless, fanatic firebrand - leading an extraordinary national crusade to form the Izaak Walton League and save a 261 mile stretch of Mississippi River Backwaters we now know as the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. While his life was cut short, his accomplishments are still legendary, and we all will benefit by hearing from him on the 100th Anniversary of the Refuge, which is in 2024.

Steven Marking grew up on the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife Refuge, on Pool #7. His father was Leif Marking, fishery research scientist at the National Fisheries Research Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Steve created a multi-media show called Our Mighty Mississippi to share the glory of the Mississippi River with anyone who would attend a show. One chapter of his show is about the creation and maintenance of the refuge, which led to his joining the Izaak Walton League while seeking more information about the Will Dilg Story.

In his production, Marking created a script that relies heavily on Dilg’s own published words. He plays the role of Will Dilg, the founding of the Izaak Walton League, and the battle against the reclamation menace that was stealing the Mississippi River’s precious backwater habitat from the Lower Mississippi on up. Ground zero for the battle was the Winneshiek Bottoms near Lansing, Iowa, which was already legally permitted to be drained, filled, and levied off to create protected farmlands.

Steven Marking holds a Masters Degree in Vocal Performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, Maryland, and a Bachelors Degree from Viterbo University in his hometown of La Crosse, Wisconsin. He brings more than three decades of professional production and performance experience to his latest creation, A Visit From Will Dilg, and his ongoing masterpiece, Our Mighty Mississippi.

Steven is a Riverlorian, defined as follows:

"One who studies rivers and shares all aspects of navigation, nature, history, legends & lore with anyone who will listen. This could expand into river related topics that interest the Riverlorian and possibly even the audience."

Steven is a Guest Speaker and Resident Entertainer for American Cruise Lines as they travel the Mississippi, Ohio, and Cumberland Rivers.

More info on Steve can be found at stevenmarking.com.