Near Fort Atkinson in Jefferson County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Lorine Niedecker
Photographed by William J. Toman
1. Lorine Niedecker Marker
Fish
fowl
flood
Water lily mud
My life
in the leaves and on water
My mother and I
born
in swale and swamp and sworn
to water
Lorine Niedecker (1903-70) lived on Black Hawk Island most of her life and celebrated the sights and sounds of this place in poems ranked among the 20th century's finest. She lived first in the log-sided house and later the house near the river from 1947-70.
Nobody, nothing than time
ever gave me unless light
greater thing and silence
which if intense
makes sound
Erected 1991 by Wisconsin Historical Society. (Marker Number 303.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Waterways & Vessels • Women. In addition, it is included in the Wisconsin Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1947.
Location. 42° 53.894′ N, 88° 53.702′ W. Marker is near Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, in Jefferson County. It is on Blackhawk Island Road 3.2 miles west of Wisconsin Highway 106, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: W7297 Blackhawk Island Rd, Fort Atkinson WI 53538, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Wisconsin and in Greater Madison. It is also in the American Midwest, on the Great Lakes, and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Lake Koshkonong Effigy Mounds (approx. 1.7 miles away); Panther Intaglio (approx. 2.8 miles away);
this page online
Photographed by William J. Toman
2. Lorine Niedecker Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on June 25, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 22, 2010, by William J. Toman of Green Lake, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 1,858 times since then and 44 times this year. Last updated on June 23, 2025, by Gary Sonnenberg of Waukesha, Wisconsin. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 22, 2010, by William J. Toman of Green Lake, Wisconsin. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
