Ocooch Mountains facts for kids
The Ocooch Mountains are a special name for a part of Wisconsin called the Western Upland. This area is also known as the Driftless Region. "Driftless" means that glaciers did not cover this land during the last Ice age. Because glaciers didn't flatten the land, you'll find lots of high hills, steep bluffs, and long ridges here.
Many rivers flow through this region, like the Chippewa, Black, La Crosse, and Wisconsin River. These rivers and their smaller streams have carved deep valleys, creating a dramatic landscape with tall peaks next to deep cuts in the ground. Wildcat Mountain State Park is a great example of this unique scenery. On the eastern side, the Baraboo Range stands out. It's a very old group of hills, formed 1.6 billion years ago! It's even a National Natural Landmark and is home to Devil's Lake, a beautiful lake with no rivers flowing in or out.
Where the Name Came From
The name "Ocooch Mountains" was first used in a book by Edwin James in 1823. He wrote about an expedition that explored the area. James described the Ocooch and Smokey Mountains as wide, high ridges, not really tall, pointy mountains. He said the Ocooch Mountains were about 12 miles north of the Wisconsin River. He also mentioned a larger area of hills that he called the "Wisconsin Hills," and the Ocooch Mountains were part of this bigger range.
A few years later, in 1825, another book by William Keating described a second expedition. Keating also wrote about western Wisconsin, calling it the "Wisconsin Hills." He said the Ocooch and Smoky Mountains were at the southern end of this region. He noted they were about 1,200 feet above the surrounding land. Keating described the area as having many hills and valleys. The hills had thick forests, while the valleys often had wide, flat areas with lakes and swamps. These wet areas were full of wild rice.
Maps and Locations
The 1823 expedition map showed the name "Ocooch" near where the Baraboo Hills are today. The map suggested that "Ocooch" only referred to the southern part of this range.
However, an 1833 map called "Northwest and Michigan Territories" placed the Ocooch Mountains further north. This map showed the name near the starting points of rivers like the Black, La Crosse, and Kickapoo. It showed the range stretching north through areas that are now La Crosse, Jackson, Clark, and Taylor counties.
Native American Names
The name "Ocooch" sounds a lot like words from the Ioway language, which is a Siouan language. The Ho Chunk people, who are related, had a similar-sounding name for the area: "waxoj," pronounced WAH-KOH-CH(e).
The Ioway and Otoe-Missouria tribes came from a cultural group called Oneota in western Wisconsin. You can find signs of their presence throughout the Wisconsin Western Uplands, dating from AD 900 to 1700.
Later, many Ioway people left the area due to diseases. Other tribes, like the Sac and Fox and Kickapoo people, moved into the region from Michigan. They were fleeing conflicts like the French and Indian Wars.
In the modern Ioway language, "Ocooch Mountains" is written as "Paxochi Ahema'shi." This is pronounced PAH-ko-chee ah-hay-MAH-shee, and it means "Mountains of Snowy Lodges." The Ho-Chunk people also had a name for the Baraboo and Trempealeau rivers that sounded like "Hoguc" or "Hocooch." This name meant "Spear Fishing Waters."
