"Fuden for Damming the Kick-a-Poo" An Analysis of the La Farge Dam and Surrounding Controversy

Abstract

In 1935, the residents of the Kickapoo Valley began the process of getting a dam built in La Farge, Wisconsin. In the next thirty-five years, as plans for the dam solidified, the dam would take on a symbolic meaning as the means through which the town would achieve economic and social stability. The United States Army Corps of Engineers began purchasing land in the area for the dam in 1970. This would create the first round of controversy surrounding the project. In 1975 the dam at La Farge, despite having been partially constructed, was abandoned after concerns arose that the reservoir created by the dam may become eutrophic and destroy the habitat of several endangered species of plants. This paper will examine the relationship between the residents of the Kickapoo Valley, their elected representatives, and the dam itself by analyzing local newspaper articles and editorials, as well as a series of oral histories.