Glen J. Cameron

(1882 - 1958) Chillicothe, IL

Judge Glen J. Cameron was a distinguished jurist, sportsman and conservationist. He is credited with several hundred decoys which were made of the finest wood. He hunted along the Chillicothe and Lacon areas of the Illinois River. Cameron is noted for his superb Illinois River mallard decoys which possess thicker and rounder bodies, longer and more pointed tails. He also produced high quality pintail, redhead and canvasback decoys. Cameron was influenced by Robert Elliston (1849-1915) a regional carver whose stylistic work inspired a number of carvers.

Cameron’s diving ducks rested low in the water and were especially realistic in appearance. He is reported to be one of the few Illinois decoy carvers known to make metal shorebird silhouettes. All of his decoys were stamped “G.J.C.”.

At his death in 1958, the estate of Judge Cameron transferred his private 700 acre wetlands refuge to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The land located on the west side of the Illinois River in Marshall County is now a vital link in a chain of life-sustaining refuges within the Mississippi flyway extending from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.

For additional information

American Bird Decoys, 1965 by William J. Mackey, Jr.

Decoys and Decoy Carvers of Illinois, 1979 by Paul W. Parmalee and Forest D. Loomis

Decoys of the Mississippi Flyway, 1981 by Alan G. Haid.

The Great Book of Wildfowl Decoys, 1990 by Joe Engers, Ed.