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Driftless Area
Attractions
The "Driftless Area"
of the Upper Midwest derives its name from the fact that it was
“unglaciated” during the most recent glacial event about 12,000 years
ago. The Driftless Area comprises some13,000 square miles, largely in
southwest Wisconsin but extending into southeast Minnesota, northeast
Iowa, and northwest Illinois. The continental glacier which covered most
surrounding regions did not touch this area, leaving our signature hill
and valley terrain intact.
Within a short
distance of Soldiers Grove are some incredible attractions, some made by
nature, some by man.
Natural Areas and Parks
Click the green to follow a link
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Effigy Mounds - Marching Bear Mounds
Photo Courtesy of National Park
Service |
Effigy Mounds
At first you see low rises on the landscape. Soon your eye begins to
pick out regular patterns in the hills. If you trace the patterns, the
"hills" turn into familiar shapes -- animals rising in low relief out of
the ground. These effigies are not the work of nature at all but were
created by the people who lived here more than 1,000 years ago. Effigy
Mounds National Monument in Northeast Iowa was established by
presidential proclamation in 1949. The monument preserves a
representative and outstanding example of a significant phase of the
prehistoric American Indian mound-building culture and protects
wildlife, scenic and other natural values of the area. |
Great River
Road
Wisconsin's Great River Road flanks the majestic Mississippi River as it
leisurely winds its way along 250 miles of the Wisconsin west border.
Along its way, the road is nestled between the river on one side and
towering bluffs on the other, becoming one of the most scenic drives in
mid-America. Most of the time the road parallels the river, but when the
road does meander a short way from the river, it treats its guests to
vistas of rolling farmland and beautiful forested valleys and coulees. |
Delta Queen Paddlewheeler
Photo Courtesy of Great River Road |
Hogback Prairie - Wisconsin State Natural
Area
Photo Courtesy of Jerry Quebe |
Hogback
Prairie
Hogback
Prairie is situated on a narrow, steep-sided ridge that rises 300 feet
above the Citron Valley, a former oxbow of the nearby Kickapoo River.
The prairie has an unusual mix of native plants, blending typical dry
prairie species with those of moister prairies. The variety of slopes
has contributed to the existence of an excellent population of the
state-threatened Hill's thistle and other rare species. To the south
the ridge widens and the prairie grades into oak woods and an overgrown
savanna with several savanna indicator plant species. Hogback Prairie is
owned by the Wisconsin Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. |
Kickapoo
Valley Reserve
The Kickapoo Valley Reserve is
an 8,569 acre tract of land located between the villages of La Farge and
Ontario in southwestern Wisconsin. As you hike, bike, ski, horseback
ride, or canoe through the Reserve, enjoy its many wonders, including
sandstone outcroppings that tower over the quiet waters of the Kickapoo
River, and native plants and animals that abound in all seasons.
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Bluffs along Kickapoo River
Photo Courtesy of Jerry Quebe |
View of Mississippi from Pike's Peak
Photo Courtesy of Iowa DNR |
Pike's Peak
State Park
Pike’s
Peak State Park boasts one of Iowa's most spectacular views across the
Mississippi on the highest bluff along the river. Named for Zebulon
Pike, this lesser known Pike's Peak was a proposed site for a fort. Pike
was sent in 1805 to scout placement of military posts along the river. A
fort was never built on this land, and it went into private ownership.
Since settlers were not able to build on this property, the peak remains
as Pike saw it 200 years ago. Located near McGregor, stop at Pikes Peak
State Park for camping, picnicking, and hiking along nature trails. |
Wildcat
Mountain State Park
On a steep
ridge overlooking the scenic Kickapoo River Valley, Wildcat Mountain
State Park offers hiking trails with spectacular views and camping for
families, groups, and horseback riders. Canoe the Kickapoo River in your
own canoe or rent one in Ontario. |
Scenic Overlook in Wildcat Mountain State
Park
Photo Courtesy of the Wisconsin DNR |
Overlooking the Mississippi and Wisconsin
Rivers
Photo Courtesy of Joseph Warren for
the Wisconsin DNR |
Wyalusing
State Park
At Wyalusing
State Park, you can camp 500 feet above the confluence of the Wisconsin
and Mississippi Rivers. One of Wisconsin's oldest parks, Wyalusing
features Indian burial mounds, canoe trail, bird watching. It's a place
to go for fishing, boating, bicycling, picnicking, and enjoying nature.
There are an interpretive center and four historical markers within the
park. |
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Historical Sites and Buildings
Click the green to follow a link
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Norskedalen
Nature and Heritage Center
This
impressive center, located near Coon Valley (about 45 minutes from
Soldiers Grove) celebrates the heritage of the Norwegians who settled
the area beginning in 1848. It consists of 400 acres and six miles of
nature trails. The Bekkum Homestead recreates a typical farm at the
turn of the century, while the Skumsrud Heritage Farm serves as an
open-air museum. |
Shelter and Log Home at Norskedalen
Photo Courtesy of Norskedalen |
Taliesin
Photo Courtesy of Taliesin
Preservation |
Taliesin, Home
and Studio
of Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank
Lloyd Wright, one of America’s most celebrated architects, built his
principal residence on the hills overlooking the Wisconsin River near
Spring Green. Wright’s architecture has stood the test of time. More
than one-third of his buildings are listed on the National Register of
Historic Places or are part of National Register Historic Districts.
Seventeen of his buildings are National Historic Landmarks, the highest
honor bestowed on historic properties by the federal government. His
Wisconsin home, Taliesin, became a National Historic Landmark in 1976.
Several tours of the building and grounds are available throughout the
spring, summer and fall. |
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Villa Louis
Villa
Louis, on the banks of the Mississippi in Prairie du Chien, is one of
America's most authentically restored Victorian house museums. Built by
the family of Hercules Dousman, a 19th century fur trader, investor and
frontier entrepreneur, the mansion is furnished and decorated with
original family heirlooms. The house is open for tours daily May through
October.
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Entry Hall of Villa Louis
Photo Courtesy of Wisconsin
Historical Society |
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