The Merrill, Iowa, chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America was chartered and organized December 12, 1924. This charter expired December 1, 1936. The Merrill chapter was reorganized at this time and ended in 1961. The original officers of the charter were: H. C. Brown, President; J. A. Weidenfeller, Vice-President; Fred Hammond, Secretary; and Frank Todd, Treasurer. The original members of the first charter of the Izaak Walton League of Merrill, Iowa, is as follows:
| W. C. Albright | Fred Hancer | J. J. Schindel |
| Swan Anderson | C. A. Hemphill | G. W. Simpson |
| H. W. Bristow | N. W. Hubel | H. P. Simonsen |
| H. C. Brown | M. G. Irwin | Dr. L. E. Stribley |
| George Bogenrief | W. H. Jahns | P. P. Sullivan |
| C. J. Danne | G. J. Klaudt | Frank Todd |
| W. E. Dennler | Mike Klenk | J. C. Vannimwegen |
| J. W. Dennler | E. E. Lawrence | Frank Veidt |
| Martin Eberle | W. O. Lee | J. A. Weidenfeller |
| Dr. P. F. Ellis | Frank Lilly | Oscar Weidenfeller |
| W. H. Elskamp | Art Lindsey | Joe Wilhelmi |
| J. A. Grimjes | J. H. Luken | Dr. F. G. Vernon |
| Fred Hammond | Frank Martine | F. A. Vernon, Jr. |
| Proctor Harris | Frank Mattas | R. J. Zensen |
| S. I. Hemphill | W. A. Nigg | Dr. A. Naffzigger |
The original purpose of the Izaak Walton League was for preserving the land and wild life of America. The Merrill chapter of the Izaak Walton League was the 11th chartered chapter in the state of Iowa. The Izaak Walton League of Merrill, Iowa, was the second largest pheasant chick-raising home in Iowa. There were thousands of pheasant chicks raised and then released in Plymouth County and nearby counties. The two men who probably deserved the top credit for this arrangement were Lewis Hauser and Conservation Officer W. W. Trusell of Sioux City. There was a lot of work building the rearing pens and taking care of the chicks. This was a league project and all of the members spent many hours to make this a success.
Another of the League's projects was the building of three dams on the Floyd River. One dam was on the Charles Dennler farm, one on the Eugene Warnock farm, and one on the Nick Singer farm. These dams were put in the Floyd River for the purpose of raising the water level and this they accomplished. The Floyd River east of Merrill was raised nearly four feet higher than before the dam was put in. This was perfect for fishing, and there was some good fishing in the Floyd River at that time.
The yearly event that no one missed was the outdoor steak fry. It was held at the dam sights or some nice shady spot in a nearby pasture. The steak fry usually consisted of trap shoots, a few games of pitch and a good get-together. Most of the members will remember Jens Petersen as the faithful member of the League that was always on hand to fry the steaks.
The Merrill chapter was a group of men from and around the town of Merrill. It made no difference what profession or job you held, you were welcome to be a member of the League. When it came to finding officers for the League, nearly everyone had his chance for one of the offices from president on down.
In years back there was very seldom a meeting that did not include a movie on hunting and fishing. This originally started with the one and only R. D. Troutman, who was superintendent of the Merrill school. He would arrange for the films for the Izaak Walton League, and then the same films would be shown to the school children.
The Izaak Walton League of Merrill always had a standing order with the State Conservation Commission for bullheads to stock the Floyd River for enjoyment of both young and old. It was a pleasant sight to drive along the road east of town and see folks enjoying fishing in the Floyd River. The old favorite fishing holes in the Floyd River had gone with the passing years.
Source: Merrill Centennial 1872-1972 pp. 242-243