A Brief Agrarian History of the Cottonwood River Watershed in Southwestern Minnesota

Document
Description
The Cottonwood River Watershed is located in southwestern Minnesota, draining 1,310 square miles of land within the Minnesota River Basin. The watershed is comprised of parts of Brown, Cottonwood, Lyon, Murray, and Redwood Counties. This essay gives a brief account of the initial European settlement of the area and the establishment of the current political boundaries. It then focuses on the major developments in agricultural production during the past 150 years, touching on the changes in landscape and wildlife due to drainage and restructuring of water bodies and the clearing of forest land.
Date Issued
2006
Number of Pages
16
Decade
Associated Organization
Publisher
University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Body of Water
Rights Holder
University of Minnesota
Rights Management
Public Domain