LACROSSE, Wis. – The Murphy Library at the University of LaCrosse sees its future as the premier regional repository for artifacts from the Driftless region. The goal is to bring together materials related to the scientific, environmental, cultural, historical, and economic aspects of the Upper Mississippi River’s Driftless Area, said David Mindel, digital collections librarian. By organizing the artifacts, they will have visibility and accessibility to the general public en perpetuity, Mindel said.
Population centers. Decorah, Dubuque, Eau Claire, LaCrosse, Madison, Prairie du Chien, Red Wing, Winona.
Verbatim
Mindel: “By tying these materials together, not only are we breathing new life into collections that might otherwise be forgotten or lost, but we are guaranteeing their existence long into the future.”
Mindel. Heading UW-L’s Driftless Initiative.
Driftless profile
The Driftless area is a topographical and cultural region that spans 18 Wisconsin counties, nine Minnesota counties, Eight Iowa counties, and three Illinois counties. The area has steep bluffs, cliffs, cold-water river valleys, and goat prairies with gravel and slit outwash left by the Ice Age that retreated finally 11,000 years ago.