Near Millston in Jackson County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Sphagnum Moss
Wisconsins Invisible Industry
Photographed by Keith L, October 26, 2007
1. Sphagnum Moss Marker
Inscription.
Sphagnum Moss. Wisconsins Invisible Industry. Marshy sections of Jackson, Monroe, Wood and Clark counties produce large quantities of Sphagnum moss, providing a major but little known state resource. The ability of Sphagnum to hold 20 times its weight in water makes it invaluable for keeping plants and nursery stock alive in shipment. It is also used in hydroponic gardening, for air shipment of flowers, and because it is sterile it is used in surgical dressings and in seed germination to prevent fungus attack in seeds. Sphagnum replaces itself in the central wetland marshes after harvest and is ready to be pulled again every three years. Harvest seasons run from spring until marshes freeze in the fall. Over 300,000 bales are pulled annually for shipment all over the world. No other state produces Sphagnum commercially.
Marshy sections of Jackson, Monroe, Wood and Clark counties produce large quantities of Sphagnum moss, providing a major but little known state resource. The ability of Sphagnum to hold 20 times its weight in water makes it invaluable for keeping plants and nursery stock alive in shipment. It is also used in hydroponic gardening, for air shipment of flowers, and because it is sterile it is used in surgical dressings and in seed germination to prevent fungus attack in seeds. Sphagnum replaces itself in the central wetland marshes after harvest and is ready to be pulled again every three years. Harvest seasons run from spring until marshes freeze in the fall. Over 300,000 bales are pulled annually for shipment all over the world. No other state produces Sphagnum commercially.
Erected 1974 by the Wisconsin Historical Society. (Marker Number 204.)
Marker is near Millston, Wisconsin, in Jackson County. It is on Interstate 94 at milepost 124, on the right when traveling east. Marker is northwest of Millston at eastbound Rest Area 53. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Millston WI 54643, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is 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.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 7, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 9, 2007, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 2,605 times since then and 41 times this year. Last updated on November 22, 2011, by John Heaton of Madison, Wisconsin. Photos:1, 2. submitted on November 9, 2007, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
