Wisconsin history’s memorable women to celebrate in March | greenbaypressgazette.com

Emma Toft left a special mark on UW-Green Bay. Baileys Harbor was not only Emma Toft’s birthplace in 1891, but also the area she remained dedicated to for most of her life. Her father owned over 300 acres of forest, which is now considered Toft Point, according to Wisconsin Women Making History. Following his death, Toft opted to share the natural wonders of the forest and opened a summer resort called Toft Point Resort with the rest of her family.  Over the next several years, many industrial eyes turned to Toft Point, eager to see the forest destroyed in favor of a more lavish establishment, but Toft was adamant in protecting and preserving her father’s land. As a result, the forest is largely unchanged from even before Toft’s father bought it. Among her efforts to preserve Toft Point, Toft also protected Ridges Sanctuary and Ellison Bay, side by side with landscape architect Jens Jensen. Toft eventually trusted the forest to the Wisconsin Nature Conservancy, before it changed hands again. Now, Toft Point, still a nature preserve, is often cared for and used by University of Wisconsin- Green Bay students for research. Source: Wisconsin history’s memorable women to celebrate in March | greenbaypressgazette.com