Wisconsin History

Glaciers in Wisconsin History

Courtesy of "chefranden" at Flickr

Turn back the clock, because the answer is very old.

A long, long time ago (500,000,000 years), Wisconsin was actually part of a vast sea. Beneath the immense weight of seawater, the floor of the sea was subject to intense pressure. The beginning of Wisconsin history was when this pressure turned seabed sand into stone; hence, the formation of sandstone.

Courtesy of "untipografico" at Flickr

Then 499,000,000 years later, the ice age came and four monolithic glaciers began their descent from the North. As the glaciers descended, they pulverized mountains into pebbles, flattened entire mountain ranges into boulders, carved and scoured the surface, and even gouged huge pockets into the land as they progressed southward. This grinding and scouring action turned Wisconsin's mountainous landscape into rolling hills, a mere flatland in comparison to its original state. The glacial pushing of miles and miles of dirt, rock and debris into mounds is what we now call a moraine.

Eventually, with the exception of one area of the state, most of Wisconsin lay beneath these massive glaciers. After the ice age ended, temperatures rose and the glaciers retreated, this time depositing boulders, rubble and other debris in their wake. The melting waters (meltwater) filled the previously carved pockets and craters with water. These water-filled pockets are now known as lakes and have become an integral part of Wisconsin history. Other flooded areas became marshland. Wisconsin's landscape is riddled with lakes, making it a present-day haven for fishing, boating, skiing and other water sports. In fact, the Great Lakes are the more famous works of ancient glacial sculpting.

Courtesy of "Pear Biter" at Flickr

Another profound aspect of Wisconsin history and its terrain is what occurred in the area that didn't experience glacial coverage. This area is called the driftless area and is located in Southwest Wisconsin. The driftless area was merely surrounded by glaciers and was spared from glacial grinding and pulverization. However, the floods from meltwaters created great, fast-moving rivers, which in turn sculpted their own sandstone passages and some of the most remarkable rock formations in America, possibly even the world. The remainder of the driftless area is rocky terrain characterized by craggy, elevated cliffs.

Courtesy of Dawn Endico

Therefore, much of the present-day Wisconsin countryside was created both directly or indirectly by ice. However, that's not all the ice did. It also carried with it seeds that with the melting and retreat of glaciers, deposited in the soil. As temperatures rose, the seeds sprouted, creating an area of vast, dense forests and grasslands.

Although the ice age was one of the most catastrophic events this planet has ever seen, it left behind one of the most incredible landscapes in the modern world. It was this cataclysmic event that gave Wisconsin its breathtaking beauty and cherished ecosystems.

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