About this item
Under the corn and soybean fields of southern Minnesota lies the memory of vast, age-old wetlands, drained away over the last 130 years in the name of agricultural progress. But not everyone saw wetlands as wasteland. Before 1900, Freeborn County's Big Marsh provided a wealth of resources for the neighboring communities. Families hunted its immense flocks of migrating waterfowl, fished its waters, trapped muskrats and mink, and harvested wood and medicinal plants. As farmland prices rose, however, the value of the land under the water became more attractive to people with capital. While residents fought bitterly, powerful outside investors overrode local opposition and found a way to drain 18,000 acres of wetland at public expense.Author Cheri Register stumbled upon her great-grandfather's scathing critique of the draining and was intrigued.
About the Author
I write memoir, essay, and history. My vocation as a writer is to testify about what I know of life, especially where the particular meets the universal and private and public intersect. I think of myself as the solo voice rising out of the chorus, singing candidly about experiences that are somewhat unusual--though certainly not unique to me--and thus easily misperceived. I write about being invisibly but chronically ill, an internationally adoptive parent, an unexpectedly single mother, a working-class kid away from home, a third-generation Danish American, and a proud Midwesterner. When I research and write history, I am drawn to suppressed or forgotten stories that involve ordinary, unsung people. To me, a book is a conversation starter, never the complete, final word on a topic. I love hearing from readers, especially those who offer their own insights into our shared experiences. Please visit my website and blog at www.cheriregister.com.
