River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1925-06-25
THE HISTORY OF THE SOUTH FORK
By c. G. Stratton

A generation ago, the South
Fork was little harmed by the hand
Of man. Today it is all but ruined
for the sportsman or the nature
lover and has retaliated for its i'll
treatment by destroying fences,
bridges, pastures and considerable
other property. Methods for pre-
serving or renewing the beauties of
this once famous stream are worthy
of the serious consideration of the
farmers and townspeoplc of River
Falls.
Originally the South Fork was a
stable stream, exhibiting the marks
Of maturity except at the Glen and
at the site of tie old steve mill,
nosr the Ellsworth road, where out
crops of rock had resulted in the de-
velopment of rapids and falls. Be-
tween and above these rapids, the
stream flowed in meaaders, doing its
work quietly and withal so slowly
that vegitetion could maintain it.
self upon the banks. The construc-
ton of cams at the two rapids was
in no way harmful. Indeed, it was
quite the opposite. For a long time
the stave mill dam successfully off
set the forces of destruction, and the
beautiful meanders still to be found
above the Junction Mill dam, in the
Normal farm pasture, testify that
dams will check stream fejuvenation,
although man and grazing have long
ago done away with the tees and
bushes.
1t is a necessary consequence of
the clearing and cultivation of the
land that floods are made more
severe. The removal of the forest
allows the water to more quickly
reach the streams. SwampS are
drained and can no longer act as
reservoirs. bitches in fields and by
roadsides allow quicker run off.
Water runs more quickly from a
ploughed field than from one in
grass. Since a stream does most of
it's work at flood time, it, follows
that most streams become more or
less rejuvenated as the land is clear
ed and occupied. In this, the South
Fork is following the example of
most Of the small streams in farm
ing regions. For this, theia can be
no remedy beyond the Representation
of slopes too steep to retain their
soil under plough or grazing. And
demonstration can not take place on
a large scale until it becomes prof.
table which, at present, it is not.
Resisting the tendency of the
stream to straighten its course,
erode its banks and, in general, to
renew its youth was the Vegetation,
largely alders and willows, along its
banks. They, if let alone, might
have stayed the change in the ma
,ure of the stream or might have
made the change so slow as to pre-
serve it's beauties, but their fight has
been losing one. They had not
)nly the stream to combat but were
forced to contend against the graz
ng of domestic animals. 1t is pro.
fable that many of them were cut |
way to clear more land for pasture.
That this is a mistaken policy is
proved by an inspection of the
tream.
1t is law of streams that reiuv-
nation proceeds upstream. In the
ase of stream consisting of reach
S and rapids, it proceeds upstream
rom the rapids. With the abandon-
nent of the stave mill dam. the i'll
lotned banks of the stream were
otally unable to withstand the at
ack of the floods. The stream deep
ned its channel, cut across its
and tore away great sec