A Thousand Pieces of Paradise: Landscape and Property in the Kickapoo Valley

by Lynne Heasley

Overview

A Thousand Pieces of Paradise is an ecological history of property and a cultural history of rural ecosystems set in one of the Midwest’s most historically significant regions, the Kickapoo River Valley. Whether examining the national war on soil erosion, Amish migration, a Corps of Engineers dam project, or Native American land claims, Lynne Heasley traces the history of modern American property debates. Her book holds powerful lessons for rural communities seeking to reconcile competing values about land and their place in it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780299213930
Publisher:	University of Wisconsin Press
Publication date:	04/19/2012
Series:	Wisconsin Land and Life
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	248
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Lynne Heasley is associate professor of history and environmental studies at Western Michigan University.

Table of Contents

Illustrations

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Prologue: Weekend Drive, Summer 2002

Part 1: Landscape Succession

1. Intended Consequences: Soil Conservation

2. A Midwestern Ranch

3. What the Real Estate Ads Don’t Tell You

Part 2: A Community on the Land

4. Outsiders

5. An Amish Environment

Part 3 : Negotiating the Past and Future Landscape

6. A Dam for New Times

7. Deer Unlimited

8. (Re)Enter the Ho-Chunk

Conclusion: Claims on Paradise

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Editorial Reviews

"An insightful, engaging, and highly readable treatment of a complex set of themes. While the story told focuses on southwestern Wisconsin, the lessons learned are applicable throughout rural America."—Harvey Jacobs, editor of Who Owns America: Social Conflict Over Property Rights

“This penetrating analysis of the complex forces that shape the landscape is a welcome relief from the narrow, rancorous debate between private property rights and outside government interference.”—Brian Donahue, author of Reclaiming the Commons: Community Farms and Forests in a New England Town

“An insightful, engaging, and highly readable treatment of a complex set of themes . . . the lessons learned are applicable throughout rural America.”—Harvey Jacobs, editor of Who Owns America: Social Conflict Over Property Rights

“Although this is a superb study of how the land itself is changing, it is even better as a series of interwoven human stories.”—Richarad Francaviglia, American Historical Review

“A splendid job. The book provides great insights into what is happening in these rural counties. I would urge any planner with an interest in rural planning to read the book before embarking on a career . . . in such regions.”—Harold (Bud) C. Jordahl, Jr., co-founder of the first Earth Day and leader in establishing the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

“Extensively researched and carefully documented, A Thousand Pieces of Paradise is thoroughly accessible to lay readers and scholars alike, and searches past history of Kickapoo Valley’s rural ecosystems in hope of offering accurate future predictions of and solutions to future problems for Kickapoo Valley and other lands like it.”—Midwest Book Review

From the Publisher