Theodore ‘Ted’ Odell's Legacy
Former Basics Co-op Owner Theodore Odell of Brodhead, WI Helps Preserve Former Family Land as Three Waters Reserve
Long time Basics Co-op Owner, Theodore ‘Ted’ Odell, who passed away in 2021, left behind much more than a cult-favorite cookie recipe. The creator of the legendary “Guerilla Cookie” – sold at local food co-ops and ubiquitous among UW-Madison students in the 1960s and 70s – also left behind a legacy of conservation.
In April of 2018, along with a group of local philanthropists from the Brodhead area, Odell helped purchase the former Decatur Lake Golf Course – a 57-acre plot of land once owned by his grandfather, Matthew Putnam, before selling it to develop a nine-hole golf course in 1927.
After nearly a century of golf course operations, mowing, and heavy fertilizer and pesticide use, Odell and the new owners (Southern Wisconsin Land Conservancy) converted the land to a restored conservation area with public walking trails called Three Waters Reserve. The land has since been granted a conservation easement to protect its original oak savanna, and the restored prairie and wetland habitats that resemble the early 19th century landscape along this picturesque reach of the Sugar River.
The recent restoration is only the beginning of a long and storied past for the Putnam-Odell property.
With the 1927 sale of the larger farm, Putnam retained a 14-acre parcel which would eventually be inherited by his grandchildren. For Ted Odell and his sister Mary, the open wild landscape along the Sugar River was a refuge. The rustic cabin on the property, nestled amongst the white oaks, is where Odell would create the very first batch of his wholesome, protein-packed snack in the 1960s. Little did he know that the Guerilla Cookie, named for the anti-war movement of the time, would become his livelihood. Odell and his bakery, aptly named Quercus Alba or ‘white oak’ in English, would operate for the next thirty years.
Since their production ceased in 1991, a quick internet search reveals the collective intrigue and mystique surrounding Odell’s Guerilla Cookie, with articles turning up everywhere from UW Madison’s Alumni Association blog to the Chicago Tribune. Many nostalgic alumni have tried to recreate Odell’s recipe. However, attempts to convince him to share it were vehemently denied and met with the promise that the recipe – which no longer existed in written form – would die with him.
After his passing in 2021, Odell left his beloved cabin and remaining 7 acres – along with his vigilantly-guarded Guerilla Cookie recipe – to Three Waters Reserve’s new owner, Southern Wisconsin Land Conservancy, where it remains today. Three Waters Reserve is one of several properties now with conservation easements that Odell and members of the Conservancy have helped southern Wisconsin landowners protect.
Though still under wraps, plans to put Odell’s secret recipe to good use are underway.
Though the golf course years are remembered fondly by the community, today’s visitors to Three Waters Reserve enjoy the property for new reasons.
The former clubhouse and golf pro shop have been converted to an event center and scientific field station used for watershed research, nature education, meetings, boutique weddings, workshops, and more. Most recently, an immersive three-part foraging workshop series was offered. In this series, participants learned to ethically harvest and prepare Wisconsin’s wild edible plants and enjoy the fruits of their labor at a Wild Harvest Chef’s Table event led by former SSM Health Executive Chef, John Marks.
The generosity of Odell and colleagues provides a new place for Basics Co-op Owners and other nature lovers to explore.
Public hiking trails are open year-round, and the area is a favored local birding hotspot where visitors can enjoy seasonal visits from white pelicans, bluebirds, red-headed woodpeckers and more. A toboggan and sledding hill has been preserved for the neighborhood children’s winter fun, continuing this tradition that many old timers remember from their childhood.
The event center is now available through online scheduling (see www.threewatersreserve.com), with all proceeds from venue rentals going toward continued conservation efforts at Three Waters Reserve and other southern Wisconsin wild and working landscapes.