Powell Spring: Its Significance and History

On Sunday afternoon, June 18, the Green Lake Conservancy will be presenting a program about Powell Spring and its history at the Caestecker Public Library at 2:00 PM.  Powell Spring is the newest property acquired by the Conservancy, and this presentation will be a prelude to our open house event there on July 1^st.

This site features a large and impressive spring that emerges directly from limestone bedrock and immediately forms the headwaters for Powell Creek.  The spring provides fresh, oxygenated, cold water that flows downstream into White Creek, one of the important tributaries of Green Lake.

The property is also both culturally and historically significant, certainly due in large part to the spring’s value as a source of fresh water – probably for thousands of years.  Clean water was of course a necessity for survival for humans throughout time, so it is not unexpected that indigenous cultures would choose to settle near the spring, or develop paths or trails that pass nearby.

Over the years, much evidence has been found of the Native Americans who lived and established villages in the immediate area – with extensive collecting of the artifacts by people like Stephen Decatur Mitchell, who established a museum at nearby Mitchell Glen in the late 1800’s.  There has been some historical mapping of the network of trails – some large and some small – that passed through the area.

Sunday’s program will feature some of these old maps of the Green Lake area, and provide details about the history of the site – based on what’s been learned by archaeologists and others.  It will include images of many of the interesting historical artifacts that have been discovered at what was once the site where James Powell operated a trading post in the 1830’s.

If you are interested in the history of the Green Lake area, you may want to attend this presentation to learn more about its past. This program is entitled “Powell Spring: Its Significance and History.”