Nibbles 'N’ Knowledge – The Making of a Crown Jewel: The Early Years of the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage

The Turtle-Flambeau Flowage came into being during a period of struggle between Wisconsin’s declining lumber industry and its rising paper and hydroelectric industries for control of the state’s major waterways. When the directors of the Chippewa and Flambeau Improvement Company authorized the construction of a dam at the confluence of the Turtle and Flambeau Rivers, their sole purpose was to create a storage reservoir, whose waters would be released in a timely fashion for use by downstream industries. Creating a body of water that would attract anglers, hunters, and other outdoor enthusiasts to its semi-wilderness setting was the farthest thing from their mind. But history often has a joker in the deck, one that can turn intended actions into unintended ones.

Michael Hittle, retired Professor of History at Lawrence University and author of An Accidental Jewel. Wisconsin’s Turtle-Flambeau Flowage, will explore this most unnatural birth of one of Wisconsin’s most outstanding natural attractions. An evening of delicious nibbles and expanding your knowledge. Cash bar and complimentary appetizers from 5:00 PM - 6 PM, program from 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM.

Registration required by April 9. Program held at Camp Jorn YMCA. $15 ($12 members). (V)

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