In Driftless Wisconsin, you can begin to understand the power of water; of glacial meltwater and rivers that have shaped our home over thousands of years since the Wisconsin Glacier stopped short of our corner of the state some 10,000 years ago.
North and east of the Driftless area, glaciers molded the landscape, leaving behind gentle contours and glacial drift – the remnants of earth and rock left by moving ice. But Driftless Wisconsin, in the absence of flattening glaciers, has fashioned a more rugged identity. Dramatic bluffs and limestone cliffs shoot skyward, while deep-grooved valleys and ravines carve the land between them.
The Kickapoo Valley, which runs through the heart of Driftless Wisconsin, tells the story of water – the bountiful volumes of glacial melt that shaped the valley, the tranquil river that meanders its floor, and the annual flooding that changes the course of both river and people.
The Kickapoo Valley Reserve, located near La Farge, tells this story wonderfully. The Visitor Center has interactive displays that explain the ecological and geological dynamics of the Kickapoo watershed, and exhibits that tell the history of the La Farge Dam project – a flood-control project gone terribly awry that served as the catalyst for the formation of the reserve.
But the story of the valley and its water is told best by nature herself. It’s a story of contrast – from lofty ridge tops to secluded river bottoms – that can be experienced by traversing any number of roads that cross the valley from top to bottom and back again.
Highway 171 lingers above the river town of Gays Mills like a finger tracing a bowl’s rim, before descending into the valley. Highway 131 tracks the notch between river and bluff, following the Kickapoo River’s length from Wilton to Wauzeka. If you can’t decide between the high road and the low road, it’s best to give them equal shrift.
So you don’t have to travel 3000 miles to see the power of glaciation – or lack thereof. You can follow the forces of nature right here in the Kickapoo Valley of Driftless Wisconsin.
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