Photo by Abbie Meyer
Otto and John Swennes with
Abbie Meyer at the closing with the Mississippi Valley Conservancy on their 12,000-year-old farm and archeological land
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Mississippi Valley Conservancy, a local non-profit land trust, and the Mississippi Valley Archeology Center (MVAC) have partnered to protect a Holmen area farm described by the center as one of the region’s most significant archeological sites.
The 117-acre farm belongs to Otto and John Swennes, farmers, poets, woodcarvers and amateur archeologists, who have decided to place a permanent conservation agreement on their land with Mississippi Valley Conservancy to help ensure that their wishes for the land are respected now and in the future.
Connie Arzigian, laboratory director at MVAC, said, “This site is unique, showing the entire prehistoric sequence. Artifacts include everything from 12,000-year-old mastodon bones to evidence of Native American winter camps.”
The Swennes brothers have lived on and farmed the land for 44 years. According to Otto Swennes, when they bought the land people would say “what in the world would you buy that for, it’s all ditches!” Under the Swenneses ownership, the quality of the farm fields improved with the construction of berms, contour strips, and other soil conservation practices. The Swennes’ primary goal was to protect the farmland, the woods and the creek. “That’s all we’re interested in,” said Otto, “the farm, timber wildlife. It’s our life...and it has been for many, many years. We always cherished the wildlife, cherished the woods and cherished the land.”
“This site has many resources, including a tremendous archaeological site, rich farmland, and scenic beauty,” MVC conservation specialist Abbie Meyer said. “It was an honor to work with the Swenneses, and we couldn’t be more pleased that it has been permanently protected, to remain as farmland and as an archeological site, forever.”
MVC Conservation Specialist Abbie Meyer said. “It was an honor to work with the Swenneses, and we couldn’t be more pleased that it has been permanently protected, to remain as farmland and as an archeological site, forever.”
Arzigian said, “We have greatly appreciated the Swennes’ long-term interest and cooperation by allowing UW-L and MVAC Teacher and Public Field schools, and providing the material for a series of UW-L Senior Thesis projects. Their cooperation has allowed many new discoveries based on the research, and the long term potential for additional knowledge because the site is now preserved from development.”
Founded in 1997, Mississippi Valley Conservancy is a regional land trust that has permanently protected nearly 9,000 acres of scenic lands in southwestern Wisconsin by working with private landowners, businesses and local communities on voluntary conservation projects. The conservation agreement ensures that the scenic beauty and biological diversity of the property will be preserved, while the property remains in private ownership.
For information on how you can permanently conserve your land, receive tax incentives for conserving your land, or to become a contributing member of Mississippi Valley Conservancy, please visit MississippiValleyConservancy.org; write to us at 201 Main Street, Suite 1001, La Crosse, Wisconsin 54601; or send e-mail to marttus@MississippiValleyConservancy.org. For more information about the archaeology of the region, and how you can work to protect it, visit the Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center website http://www.uwlax.edu/mvac/.
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