Coulee Region
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The Coulee Region, as it is colloquially known (officially designated the Driftless Area by the USGS and popularly referred to as the Driftless Zone, or Driftless Region since the 1980s) is an area of about 20,000 square miles (52,000 km²) in western Wisconsin, northeastern Iowa, southeastern Minnesota, and extreme northwestern Illinois, which was by-passed by the last continental glaciers.
As a result, the topography is more rugged than that usually associated with the Midwest. In Wisconsin, the region parallels the Mississippi River to the Illinois state line in a band 60 to 80 miles (100 to 130 km) wide. About halfway a lobe extends farther northeast into Wisconsin. In Iowa, it also runs parallel to the Mississippi River from the Minnesota state line to about Dubuque in a band approximately 20 miles (32 km) wide. The Minnesota and Illinois portions are much smaller, by comparison, and much more irregularly defined.
Other than rugged topography, the Coulee Region has no one single unity of landscape. In the north there is a "North Woods" visual appearance, as much of the terrain is covered in deciduous forest. The Dells of the Wisconsin River, along the route of the Wisconsin River, in the bed of Glacial Lake Wisconsin, are a unique and specially formed scenic attraction in their own right. In southwestern Wisconsin there is a more pastoral, semi-wooded landscape with many prosperous farms along rural by-ways. The portion of the Mississippi River that flows through the region is noted for its high bluffs and dramatic river scenery. In Iowa, it takes the appearance of low rugged hills covered with pine woods, a landscape not usually associated with that state. In Illinois, the area contains Charles Mound, the highest point in that state.
Early European settlers derived the name Coulee Region from the French word "couler," which means "to flow." The term is now usually used when referring only to the hilly parts of the region, while Driftless Zone may imply flatter areas such as those found around Glacial Lake Wisconsin.
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[edit] In popular culture
An interesting connection with the landscape of the region is Taliesin, home of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who advocated organic integration of a structure with its natural surroundings. Taliesin itself is built from local limestone and set on the brow of a rugged hill, for the specific purpose of emphasizing its ties to the Driftless Zone of southwestern Wisconsin.
[edit] In history
In the past the Coulee Region was noted for its many lead and zinc mines; in fact, the state Seal of Wisconsin shows a miner in honor of that historic era. Today, however, there are no functioning metal mines in this region.
[edit] Modern importance
Agriculture, where it can be done, tends toward dairy farming. In southwestern Wisconsin this specialty is combined with the characteristic feedlot system of the Corn Belt, and beef cattle as well as the raising of specialty crops. Some ethnic communities have concentrated across the Coulee Region, including ethnic islands of Cornish, Swiss, Scandinavians and Slavs. In Wisconsin, the area around New Glarus is the original source of the Swiss cheese industry in the USA, although most of the Wisconsin cheese industry is concentrated elsewhere in the state.
[edit] Protection of ecosystem
The Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge has been established for the purpose of preserving a rare snail and rare flower that have made this region a specialized ecological niche for themselves. The Refuge is located in several scattered sites among the states that make up the Driftless Area.
[edit] Human influence
The principal settlements in the Coulee Region are La Crosse, Baraboo, and Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin; and Winona, Minnesota. Dubuque, Iowa, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, the Twin Cities, and Rochester, Minnesota are on the edges of the Zone. It is noteworthy that most of these cities are on large rivers, suggesting the comparative difficulty of earlier land travel, in light of the rugged topography, for the early settlers.
[edit] References
- ↑ Welcome to Driftless Area District. Retrieved on August 8, 2005.
- The Driftless Area: A Landscape of Opportunities
