Ancient History of Agriculture

Speaker to Talk About Ancient History of Agriculture in Sauk County.

On Tuesday evening, August 17, Landscape Historian Rob Nurre will present Native Agriculture in Sauk County in the Year 1000 in the Community Room of the Reedsburg Public Library. The presentation will begin at 7:30 p.m. and the doors will open at 7:00 for refreshments and a social period prior to the talk.

The Hulburt Creek Garden Beds, located just west of the Wisconsin Dells, is one of the best-preserved Native American agricultural sites in Wisconsin. A thousand years ago this area was an active area for the growing of corn, squash and other related crops for the sustenance of the native peoples of the area. Using a raised-bed gardening technique, these people managed the fertility of the soils and local hydrology to produce their crops. The raised-bed structure has survived, and the Sauk County Historical Society recently acquired a portion of the area for preservation. This site not only preserves the very early history of agriculture in Sauk County, but also provides lessons for modern agriculture.

Rob Nurre specializes in the interaction of natural and cultural landscapes. As the Archeological Sites Committee chairman, he oversees the management of three sites owned by the Sauk County Historical Society, the Hulburt Creek Garden Beds, the Yellow Thunder Memorial and the Man Mound.

This event is part of A Growing Season, a series of art exhibits, speakers and workshops through September and leading up to the traveling Smithsonian Exhibit - Key Ingredients: America by Food, coming to Reedsburg in Fall 2010. This event is presented by the Wormfarm Institute and Reedsburg Public Library.

This presentation is made possible in part through a grant from the Sauk County UW Extension Arts & Culture Committee, the Wisconsin Arts Board, the Wisconsin Humanities Council and the Friends of the Reedsburg Public Library For more information, contact the Wormfarm at 608-524-8672, wormfarminstitute.org or the Library at 608-768-READ(7323) or http://www.reedsburglibrary.org/.