History, geology, geography, stories and more about the Driftless region of Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois.

Farm in the Driftless Area - panoramio.jpgFarm in the Driftless Area - panoramio.jpg
The Driftless is defined by its unique geological history

  • What and where is the Driftless?

  • Impact of the ice sheets

  • A karst landscape

  • Deeply inscribed by water

  • The Lower Wisconsin River Valley

  • The Kickapoo River Valley

  • Military Ridge

  • Glacial Lake Wisconsin

  • Springs and trout streams

  • Microclimates

Human settlement

  • When did humans first settle the Driftless?

  • What did the land look like then?

  • How did the Native tribes live?

  • Folkways

  • Connections and trade

  • Effigy mounds

  • Archeological sites

Native Resistance, Displacement and Endurance

  • Native tribes 1600-1750

  • European Exploration

  • Lead mining

  • The Blackhawk War

  • Native removal and endurance

European settlement

  • Lead mining

  • The first farmers

  • Railroads

  • Mills

  • The battle for county seats

  • Logging and lumber rafting

  • Steamboats

  • Bridging the Wisconsin

  • Changes to the river

  • Recreating the landscape

  • The Driftless in the Civil War

A refuge and America's Dairyland

  • Black communities

  • Religious communities

  • Noted individuals and eccentrics

  • The failure of wheat and the rise of dairy

  • The rise of agribusiness and selective outmigration

A future for the Driftless

  • Organic farming

  • The Amish and Mennonites

  • Arts based development

  • The Kickapoo Valley Reserve

  • Tourism

About The Driftless

The Driftless is a platform dedicated to celebrating the wonders of the Driftless region. It collects, compiles and links to books, articles and experts on all the things that make the Driftless so unique. If you have a story to tell or an interesting fact we can include, contact us.