New essay-filled book on Big Sioux River explores cultural, environmental impact

A book released this week by the Center for Western Studies at Augustana University tackles the history of a long-overlooked subject.

The Big Sioux River.

Which, if you’ve lived in Sioux Falls for more than a year or two, may seem a paradoxical notion. The city, after all, is named for the falls of the aforementioned river.

How could it possibly be overlooked?

Which is what Jon Lauck thought when he started looking for information on the Big Sioux and what it means to the region.

Lauck is an author, historian and political consultant with a particular interest in all things Midwestern. It was a discussion on where one would place the theoretical border between the Midwest and the Northern Plains that led to inquiry into the history of the Big Sioux.

Turns out, there wasn’t anything written.

Lauck discussed the idea of collecting essays by local experts with Harry Thompson, the director of the Center for Western Studies, and a collection was born.

The book is titled “Heartland River: A Cultural and Environmental History of the Big Sioux River Valley.”

The 19 essays cover a wide range of topics from academic studies of the ecology and biology of the watershed to literature, history of indigenous people, politics and personal reflection.

Lauck solicited and edited the essays.

“I’m interested in promoting regionalism and connecting people to the place where we live,” Lauck said.

Which is an understatement at the very least considering Lauck’s other efforts in this area. He is also editor-in-chief of Middle West Review, editor of the “Interior Borderlands: Regional Identity in the Midwest and Great Plains” and co-editor of “Finding a New Midwestern History.”

He is the author of the book “From Warm Center to Ragged Edge: The Erosion of Midwestern Literary and Historical Regionalism.”

Water quality and ecology are a significant element of the book, with scholarly work focused on research from regional academics such as Mark Dixon, professor of biology at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion.

Dixon and three co-authors contributed a chapter titled “Land Use, Forests and Birds of the Big Sioux River Valley.”

In a presentation marking the release of the book Thursday at Augustana, Dixon said their research has shown there are more species of birds breeding along the Big Sioux than even the Missouri River. There are also more migratory birds traveling through the Big Sioux corridor. This is likely because of the general north-south path of the river and the foresting along the way.

The paper also highlights continued threats to the Big Sioux and the watershed. That includes invasive species such as the emerald ash borer, and an increasing water flow when compared to precipitation, which doubled through the 1980s. The river is wider than it used to be and less meandering. These changes likely are caused by less evaporation related to alterations in land use, contributing to less evaporation and more runoff.

The emerald ash borer, in particular, could change the nature of the forest lining the river, which gets thicker as it moves south.

“If it really took off, it would shift the composition of the forest,” Dixon said. “It would definitely be a transition.”

“Heartland River” is available at the Center for Western Studies. Orders also can be taken by telephone at 605-274-4007 or email at [email protected].

It’s available online through Amazon.com.