KVA HISTORY PROJECT

Kickapoogians, “have an established unsavory reputation, extending throughout the state of Wisconsin and even beyond; that it is a territory some fifty miles long, wild and undeveloped, inhabited by illiterate people who are designated timber thieves, horse thieves and desperados.”

            That description of the “unsavory reputation” of residents of the Kickapoo Valley comes from the introduction to the classic local history book, The Kickapoo Valley – The Gem of Wisconsin.  The book was written and published by two women from Viola, Gertrude Frazier and Rose Poff, in 1896.  The entire purpose of the book was to present evidence that this reputation was undeserved and in their words, “wholly false”.

            (Before going any further, let the word go out to all good history lovers that a new shipment of the “Gems” book has arrived at the Friends of the Reserve gift shop located at the KVR Visitor Center north of La Farge.  Under the leadership of Chuck Hatfield, the “Gems” book was republished and rereleased in May 2007 after having been out of print for over 100 years.  An original copy of the book that was owned by Joyce Blackmore, noted Rockton historian, and donated by Brian Turner was used as a copy for the republication printing.

After the “Gems” book was released, Chuck and I along with wives, Gwen and Carolyn, went on a tour of the Kickapoo Valley from Wilton to Wauzeka talking to groups about the book.  The original order of the books was soon sold out and another batch had to be printed, then another after that.   Recently the gift shop had run out of the “Gems” books, but once again, the book may be obtained at the Friends gift shop.)

Gertrude Frazier and Rose Poff’s book was one of the first efforts to tell the stories of the people of the Kickapoo Valley.  Over the years there have been many others, including these scribbling’s that appear in the La Farge Episcope on a bi-monthly basis.  One of the more comprehensive efforts to record the history of the Kickapoo Valley and its people came about during the late 1970’s as part of a government funded project that had great impact and significance.

In 1977, the Kickapoo Valley Association (KVA) received a Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) federal grant.  The purpose of the CETA grant was to provide employment and training for people in the areas of public service.  The KVA, a group formed earlier in the decade to promote the Kickapoo Valley, used the CETA grant in a variety of ways.

There was a river project that included a cleanup of the Kickapoo River to open up more areas of the river for canoeing.  This particular project was not too popular in some circles in the La Farge area as the community was still simmering from the stoppage of the dam project.  Some ardent pro-dam activists saw canoeists on the Kickapoo as one of the factors that contributed to the dam project being stopped.  So, on several summer weekends during these times, the “Beavers” (a secret chain saw wielding group of guys who often gathered in local watering holes before proceeding to the river under the cover of darkness) would saw down trees and drop them into the Kickapoo River to thwart canoeing.  Interestingly, the “Beavers” efforts provided plenty of work for the young men working on the KVA’s river project, as they assisted the local canoe livery owners in keeping sections of the river open to canoeing.

Another aspect of the KVA’s CETA grants was an agricultural survey done with landowners and farmers along the river way to look for problems and seek solutions caused by flooding.  There was also an Energy Alternatives Project developed under the CETA grant.  The work and findings under that aspect of the grant led to the development of Soldiers Grove as the first solar community in the country.

But the showpiece of the KVA’s CETA grant was the Local History Project.  The KVA’s History Project (1977-79) was vast in its reach and impressive in its accomplishments.  An Advisory Group was formed by the KVA and the Monroe, Vernon and Crawford County historical societies to provide various perspectives and concerns as historical information was gathered.  Dale Muller and Jeanne & Bernard Smith represented La Farge on the 10-member advisory group for the history project.  Working with a staff of people hired to conduct the history project, the members of the advisory group provided insight to various avenues to pursue for the project.  The staff and advisory group met regularly during 1978 and 1979 as the history project was unfolding.

The Local History Project included a number of endeavors to collect and share the unique history of the people of the Kickapoo Valley.  A “Study Unit Project” was developed for schools and teachers to use in presenting local Kickapoo Valley history in their classrooms.  After the unit was developed, a seminar was held on the UW-Richland campus to introduce the concept and materials to area teachers.  Eventually, the unit was distributed to all the schools in the Kickapoo Valley area.  Margaret Lee of La Farge headed up the study unit project.

A documentary film was also produced.  Under the leadership of Frances Burton, the 16mm color documentary, “The Land of The Crooked River” was eventually completed and released.  The fifteen-minute film is a classic in presenting the unique nature of the Kickapoo Valley and its history.

A history textbook was also a part of the KVA Local History Project.  The textbook would include all of the information gathered in the different aspects of the local history project.  Although the history textbook was never published, much of the research, collected materials, and even the preliminary organization have been done, and that awaits an energetic crew to complete.

At the heart of the Local History Project was an effort to collect local history by conducting oral history interviews.  At the same time, an ear was tilted towards the collection of folk history and tales through the interviewing process.  As the local and folk histories were being gathered during 1978-79 there was also an effort to share some of that information with the public.  This was accomplished through the publication of the “Kickapoo Pearls” newspaper-magazine.  The first issue of the “Kickapoo Pearls” was published in June 1979 and subsequent issues were released in July, August and September (the “Harvest Moon” edition) of that year.  Each publication of the “Kickapoo Pearls” had a printing of 2,500 copies and as the news and excitement about the publications spread, the tabloids soon were in short supply.  People were excited to learn about the lore and legend of the winding Kickapoo!