Sub Terra Vita Chronicle #35: A Brief Autobiography of the Valley Underground—Part XIV: Valley Spine of River

Sub Terra Vita

By Tim Krenz

February 15, 2016

Chronicle #35: A Brief Autobiography of the Valley Underground—Part XIV: Valley Spine of River

The St. Croix River unites the memories and the common identity of our valley's people. The Valley itself, and the river-shed that formed it, gives and has no meaning in itself, apart from those who enjoy it. As a thing in itself, it would possess no enduring, and timeless value, except from those people who lived here, live here still, and will in the future call this Valley home, or visit it as a destination. The river extends and defines the limits of the larger community of the St. Croix Valley. That community, on both the Wisconsin and Minnesota shores, carries forward its diversity, north and south, east and west, but it makes a common bond that people here share in whole, from those of its many parts.

From the founding of the republic following the War for Independence, the St. Croix River gets mentioned in several old, almost-forgotten diplomatic documents (I've read the copies and facsimiles that mention our river). At one point, the river in the middle formed the extreme northwest boundary of the nation, per the Treaty of Paris of 1783. A traveler inside the United States could get no farther from Federal City (Washington D.C.) without going into foreign territory, than by halfway crossing the St. Croix River between Danbury and Grantsburg in Wisconsin.

The old frontier in the U.S., the one of lore and legend, once ended on this river, until the purchase of the Louisiana cession in 1803. People always lived here before independence, however. And their ancestors remain here still. Others came. Families stayed. The people cleared the land of forests and farmed it as prosperously as those who roamed and hunted before them. But in our diversity, the Valley indeed belongs to the living. The river made the physical valley, but the peoples throughout history made the character and the community that continues to evolve today, moving toward some future shape that will signify both change and continuity.

Respect the river, as we do. Even with many achievements in our world, the river has its placid luring tones, its raging foils over our strongest will, and its powerful control to pose dangers. Respect it for its beautiful wonder, and for other reasons, and learn to love and appreciate it. It gives a community life here, and for the living ones, regard its perils with caution.

Every youngster and young adult in Osceola grew up on and around the river, the one of our heritage. Boating, swimming, camping, hiking, exploring, and a lot of canoeing, tested the limits of every generation's courage and stupidity. Mostly unsupervised by adults, or slackly so by them, we did dumb, DUMB things. Luckily, most of us lived to survive our lack of judgment. Many have not, far more than we wanted to lose. Some lived with serious injury.

WARNING FOR THE YOUNG: Do not challenge nature or the technology. NEVER jump from the cliffs or structures like bridges anywhere into any part of the river!! Nothing will scare you more than getting caught in an underwater current, disoriented, and panicked where you cannot find the vital direction up to the surface. See some person who broke their neck hitting the water wrong or landing on rock. Nothing of this sort turns out well, when pure luck does not arrive. Never count on that luck.

Respect the river. It has many things to enjoy, and every generation will find their own story, and challenges, without risking tragedy, or the limits of chance and fortune. For the young and for the older experienced explorers, adventure resides in the underground journey in the river valley, and it can form memories and the character of a person beyond mere serendipity.

And that said, it reminds me of when still in school, and the river occupied our times. [Continued in the next installment].