Purpose: The purpose of the Higbee Family Fund is to protect, preserve, and restore the water quality of Lac Courte Oreilles.

The Higbee Family refers to the descendants of Edward Cady Higbee and Ella May (Bacon) Higbee. Edward was a lawyer and circuit judge in La Crosse, WI, and he was captivated by the beauty and serenity of Lac Courte Oreilles when visiting the area in the early 1900s. Edward and his second wife, Grace Fassett Higbee, rented a cottage in 1917 then purchased the land now referred to as the “Camp at Reserve” on the eastern shore of Lac Courte Oreilles in 1919. As of 2017, six generations of Higbee descendants have enjoyed the same property.

The Higbee Family Fund is a Legacy Fund under the management of the Lac Courte Oreilles Foundation (LCOF). To achieve its purpose, income from the Higbee Family Fund will provide support to the Courte Oreilles Lakes Association (COLA) in its work to protect the water quality of the lake.

Since this is an Agency Endowment Fund, gifts must be made directly to the Lac Courte Oreilles Foundation.

If you’re interested in starting your own legacy family fund to support the lake, please contact Rob Gales at Roberthgales@gmail.com  or (612) 889-9067.