PLACE

DRIFTLESS REGION

Thoreau College is rooted in the rural community of Viroqua, Wisconsin, in the heart of the Driftless Region of the upper Midwest.  This unique bio-region was left untouched by the great Pleistocene glaciers that leveled most of the Midwest, preserving a rich landscape of ridges and valleys traversed by countless small streams and rivers, as well as by the upper Mississippi River.

This landscape of hardwood forests and small dairy farms is home to a high level of biodiversity, as well as a diversity of human cultures and agricultures. For thousands of years, the area has been home to the Ho-Chunk Nation and other indigenous peoples.  Today, the Driftless Region is also home to the descendants of Norwegian and German immigrants, a thriving Amish community, and many others. It is also a major center of the organic and sustainable agriculture movement in the United States, anchored by Organic Valley, now one of the world’s largest organic farmers’ cooperatives. 

Thoreau College sees Viroqua, Vernon County, and the Driftless Region as a whole as our extended campus.  From the outset of our development, we have sought to establish physical contexts that connect students with the vibrant cultural, economic, and social life in the town of Viroqua, as well as experiences of agriculture and the forests, meadows, and streams of our bioregion. For this reason, we will continue to develop and maintain campus facilities -including residential facilities – in both town and country locations, with the intention that Thoreau College students will experience both types of locations during their time at the college.

For more about the region and what’s going on, here are some articles:

A thriving food culture is making Viroqua the place to be – Wisconsin State Journal 

 A Solution for Struggling small towns: Organic food? – Ozymandias (‘OZY‘)

Twenty-five years later ” the town that beat Walmart” is back on the map – The New Food Economy

Three top restaurants for the hungry on Wisconsin’s western edge – StarTribune

Kickapoo Coffee Roasters Opens Viroqua Cafe – La Crosse Tribune

Viroqua chef nominated for highest honor in restaurant industry – News8000.com 

Viroq-Landia: Five Reasons We Love Viroqua, WI – The Odyssey

‘Mysteries of the Driftless’ – The Quad-City Times 

Navigating through the Driftless – The New York Times