Darren Bush
Paddlers can camp along the river; other rustic campsites are hike-in. Or bring your horse.
In the 1930s, residents of the Kickapoo Valley asked their representatives in Washington, D.C., to do something about the floods that plagued the cities along the river. As a result, the Army Corps of Engineers proposed a dam across the Kickapoo River Valley, just a few miles north of La Farge, Wisconsin.
It is true that the valley has been prone to flooding, causing enough damage that an entire village eventually relocated to higher ground. Soldiers Grove was flooded in 1907, 1912, 1917 and 1935. Floods continued to ravage the town, and by 1978, it was clear that destroying and rebuilding homes and buildings every four or five years was not sustainable. After the town was moved out of the floodplain, in 2007, a flood devastated where downtown would have been, with floodwaters not receding for 10 days. It trashed the city park, but that’s easier to clean up. Good call, Soldiers Grove.
But the dam was controversial from the start. After delays, fits and starts, 149 families were forced to sell their farms in the early 1970s to make way for the project that promised jobs and recreational opportunities. Some speculators purchased property that would have become lake shoreline after the dam was completed. Spoiler alert: They were disappointed.
There’s good evidence that the dam wouldn’t have worked as it should have, and there were disagreements about cost overruns and logistics, which delayed the dam even further. Sen. William Proxmire finally killed the project for good in 1975 after demonstrating the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had spent all their budget and then some, with little to show for it. 149 families were furious, and rightly so. Although it was Proxmire who put the final nail in the coffin, the stage had already been set by the northern monkshood.
Northern monkshood is one of a dozen endangered or threatened species found in the area. Over 40% of Aconitum noveboracens’ habitat is in the Kickapoo valley, and it is recognized as threatened both in the state and federally. So bye-bye, controversial dam, hello political conundrum.
The problem was what to do with the land that had been taken via eminent domain. Many ideas were proposed, including giving it back to the families who’d lost their homes, developing a golf course and condos, or allowing recreational housing. In the end, the local people formed the Kickapoo Advisory Committee to decide, based on local control, the disposition of this unique piece of property. The locals were done with the federal government.
After many years of work at the community level, the Kickapoo Valley Reserve (KVR) was created, and it’s a weird and wonderful entity. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has little to do with the 8,600-acre nature preserve. Instead, the Kickapoo Reserve Management Board, mostly locals, runs the show. The land is owned by the state of Wisconsin and the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs (with land in trust for the Ho-Chunk Nation). The state and the Ho-Chunk Nation co-manage the reserve. And rightly so, since it was Ho-Chunk land to begin with.
Darren Bush
Cliffs of Cambrian sandstone line the Kickapoo River.
The KVR Visitor Center, just a mile and a half north of La Farge on State Highway 131, is a respectful tribute to the people, both ancient and modern, who once occupied the reserve. The names of the 149 families who were forced from their homes are etched in bricks at the entrance to the center.
The reserve is also a Wisconsin State Natural Area, but there are also unique places set aside within the KVR, areas where the landscape is as untouched by human activity as possible. These areas include cliffs of Cambrian sandstone (only 400 million years old) that support some rare and threatened plants like swamp saxifrage, Sullivan’s coolwort, and dozens of other rare plants. Even if you’re not a botanist, there are gems hidden in plain sight. Get on your knees and pull out a hand lens. If you’re in a canoe, sidle up to a sandstone cliff. Not all beauty is large-scale majestic; I love tough little plants that hide in the duff in the forest and cling to the sandstone, having endured millions of years in a hostile diluvial environment.
Birders also love the reserve, due to more than 100 species of nesting birds. If you like warblers (and who doesn’t?), you’ll find golden-winged, blue-winged, black and white, prothonotary, Tennessee, orange-crowned, Nashville, Connecticut, Kentucky, mourning, and worm-eating warblers. Other rare species draw bird-lovers from all over the Midwest.
There is camping in the KVR, 26 primitive sites — some vehicle-accessible ($15/night), others hike- or boat-in ($10). The campsites are indicated by fire rings (use them). Campers need to reserve a permit online or at the Visitor Center, not more than 45 days in advance. If you want a picnic table, potable drinking water and toilets, nearby Wildcat Mountain State Park is another option. The online reservation system also has photos of the campsites, and more details about driving, hiking or canoeing to them. Primitive means observing principles of Leave No Trace: you pack it in, you pack it out, and take any trash you find with you as a courtesy. That includes bodily functions, and WAG bags are recommended.
The KVR trails are multi-use; for hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, and other outdoor activities. The trails are beautifully maintained, and are closed after rain to keep them from damage. The trails were designed to avoid sensitive ecological and archeological sites sacred to the Ho-Chunk Nation. Motorized vehicles are prohibited.
Over 40 miles of trails wind through the reserve. All are pleasant and lovely, with covered bridges and paths along tributaries to the Kickapoo. The Weister Creek trail is a favorite, as is the Ice Cave trail in the winter. You’ll want snowshoes and/or crampons, but the view of the curtain of frozen water seeping from the limestone is worth the trek. The Old Highway 131 trail was created when 131 was re-routed, and passes through a covered bridge, one of three in the Reserve.
The heart of the KVR, of course, is the Kickapoo River. The Kickapoo is one of the oldest river systems in the world, and because of that, numerous rare species live there.
The river is more than 120 miles long from its source to the confluence with the Wisconsin River. Five main creeks run into the Kickapoo, but there are hundreds of little spring-fed creeks running into its tributaries that contribute to its dendritic structure. The river’s name comes from the Kickapoo word kiwegapawa, meaning “one who wanders here, then there.”
Most paddlers start their journey at the Ontario landing, at the junction of highways 33 and 131. The river twists and turns as ancient rivers tend to do. The drive between Ontario and La Farge is 12 miles; the river takes 21.
The bridges are numbered, and it’s nice to see where you are relative to your destination. Some of the new bridges are testament to the destructive nature of the Kickapoo in flood stage. There’s a tree with a Fisher-Price tricycle stuck in its branches, easy to miss because it’s 25 feet above normal river levels. The last big flood placed a picnic table on top of the Welcome to Ontario sign.
Rivers are tricky to navigate, despite the fact that you can’t get lost; just paddle with the current, right? What can happen is that you don’t compensate for the water levels. If they’re high, you suddenly find yourself at the takeout before you’re ready to end the day. Too low, and you get to your car too close to dark and end up being a tasty snack for the evening mosquitoes. The bridges provide a metric, and have helped me stretch a trip out a bit; just stop more and take regular breaks, or speed up if I’m a little too pokey.
Note, the Kickapoo Valley Reserve day use fee is $5/person; $15/family of four or more; annual fees are $20/person and $35/family (two adults +). Certain activities — hunting, fishing and trapping — are exempt from the day use fee, but require a separate vehicle permit; see more at kvr.state.wi.us/Recreation/Permits-Fees/User-Permits. These fees go toward maintaining and preserving the reserve.
