Creek at Westbrook Artists' Site - K. Lair (archival print)
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Gateway - The Three Rivers County
In taking up its study you are at least out of doors in Iowa's finest scenery.
- Arthur Goshorn. History of Madison County Iowa and its People (1915)
The exhibition, Gateway – The Three Rivers County, focuses on the ecological transformation of Madison County during the early decades of European settlement. The work in the exhibition includes adaptations of historical sources and references along with contemporary material in historical context. The native ecology at the time of settlement was heavily promoted and developed as a resource for development and opportunity. In many cases, the diversity and abundance of pre-settlement ecology is highlighted and available for comparison and reflection. The exhibition is installed in the Winterset train depot (established in 1872), which played a significant role as part of the railway system that helped extend the county's market for goods.
As a result of my creative inquiry, I began to focus on the native ecology and environmental history shaped by agriculture. Efforts to foster flora and fauna native to the area required a preliminary and pragmatic investigation into historical land use. This pursuit merged with other on-going inquiries as part of an overall “micro-history” at the Westbrook Artists’ Site (WAS). WAS is comprised of roughly 500 acres southeast of Winterset in Scott Township. This micro-history gave me a great appreciation for the unique character of the ecology of relatively small sites and its potential significance for sustainable outcomes. In turn, I also believe in the value of fostering environmental history to serve as a guide in ethical stewardship of land. WAS inquiries have included research into the American bullfrog, Smooth Broome, Bur oaks, and prescribed burns (fire). In addition, a general focus is on the settlement process and the context in which land was acquired and transformed by the people coming to Madison County in the middle of the 19th century.
- Arthur Goshorn. History of Madison County Iowa and its People (1915)
The exhibition, Gateway – The Three Rivers County, focuses on the ecological transformation of Madison County during the early decades of European settlement. The work in the exhibition includes adaptations of historical sources and references along with contemporary material in historical context. The native ecology at the time of settlement was heavily promoted and developed as a resource for development and opportunity. In many cases, the diversity and abundance of pre-settlement ecology is highlighted and available for comparison and reflection. The exhibition is installed in the Winterset train depot (established in 1872), which played a significant role as part of the railway system that helped extend the county's market for goods.
As a result of my creative inquiry, I began to focus on the native ecology and environmental history shaped by agriculture. Efforts to foster flora and fauna native to the area required a preliminary and pragmatic investigation into historical land use. This pursuit merged with other on-going inquiries as part of an overall “micro-history” at the Westbrook Artists’ Site (WAS). WAS is comprised of roughly 500 acres southeast of Winterset in Scott Township. This micro-history gave me a great appreciation for the unique character of the ecology of relatively small sites and its potential significance for sustainable outcomes. In turn, I also believe in the value of fostering environmental history to serve as a guide in ethical stewardship of land. WAS inquiries have included research into the American bullfrog, Smooth Broome, Bur oaks, and prescribed burns (fire). In addition, a general focus is on the settlement process and the context in which land was acquired and transformed by the people coming to Madison County in the middle of the 19th century.
K. Lair. WSWilkinson_SnakeHunt07x1904, archival print, 2015. In Wilkinson's own hand his description of early settlement conditions.
Of the considerable contributions to the historic record of Madison County are the papers of W.S. Wilkinson (aka, Uncle Sydney). He gave readings at some of the first meetings of the historical society and his local histories are included in the History of Madison County (1915) and The State Historical Society Annals of Iowa (1904). His father, John Wilkinson, arrived to stake a claim on April 23rd, 1848 on a piece of land on what is now the Westbrook Artists’ Site. Their homestead was located by a creek and was removed from any roads in a remote part of what is now the WAS. This creek by the homestead persisted on maps for decades as a significant feature of the land. John emigrated from Ireland and was buried a few miles away from the homestead on which he lived the last years of his life. W.S. was a teacher and his younger brother A.W. became a surveyor and judge in Madison County. My copy of the History of Madison County (1879) was owned by a member of the Dabney family who added notations. One notation was that their father had worked for Judge Wilkinson.
K. Lair. AWWilkson_S15_CribProject010, installation, 2015
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K. Lair (2015) Image from historical survey of Wilkinson homestead at WAS featuring creek and path
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During the early settlement, the land of Westbrook was divided into numerous “timber plots”, including those of several landowners: Wilkinson, George Breeding, and George Halliwill. Josiah Banks owned land next to WAS and was one of the several that had timber plots. While timber was cut in the early years, most of this portion of the land has remained uncultivated and lightly used. There is a diverse range of native trees at WAS, including Chinkapin oak, White oak, Red oak, Shagbark Hickory, Black walnut and Bur oak. Part of the WAS land includes swaths of Oak savanna. Oak savannas at the time of European settlement in the Midwest comprised roughly 50 million acres. Today the savannas are “globally imperiled” with less than one hundredth of a percent remaining. This transition is hard to fathom and one that most of us seem to be either unaware or perhaps unable to contemplate.
K. Lair. WASxS15_AugustI_0130, archival print, 2105
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K. Lair WASxS15_AugustI, archival print, 2015. Bur Oak branch (110 years old) from WAS felled summer 2015.
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Gateway is an opportunity for repose and contemplation. The subtitle is from an 1889 publication by The Three River Blue Grass League of Winterset. Just as the creek where the Wilkinsons settled affords insight to how the land at the time was viewed, this title regarding the features of the land remains significant. (This group’s executive board included C.F. Koehler, from which my family purchased our first parcel of Westbrook property from his grandson, George Koehler. C.F. died in Los Angeles, CA in 1930, and an oak tree was planted in his honor at the first public library in Hollywood.) Current issues of water and water quality in Iowa as well as nationally may eventually transform our views again regarding natural waterways. A small creek may once again be a significant feature. Discontinuity and continuity are part of the transition represented in the work exhibited. This can be difficult to imagine and it is certainly hard to put this knowledge into action. The micro-history is a way to convert our passivity into action and contextualize it so we can be mindful even in mundane situations. It helps us reflect upon seemingly fixed values and expectations and thereby to create a wealth of new opportunities.
K. Lair. WASxS15_AugustI_0205, archival print, 2015
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K. Lair. WASxS15_JulyIV_0225, archival print, 2015
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