Good morning.
Today’s forecast calls for a mostly sunny day, with a high temperature of eighty-eight degrees.
The Wisconsin Historical Society offers more accounts of the Black Hawk War, with a description of the odd terrain General Atkinson encountered in 1832:
1832 – Atkinson enters the Trembling Lands
On this date, General Atkinson and his troops entered the area known by the Native Americans as “trembling lands” in their pursuit of Black Hawk. The area was some 10 square miles and contained a large bog. Although the land appeared safe, it would undulate or tremble for yards when pressure was applied. Many of the militiamen were on horses, which plunged to their bellies in the swamp. The “trembling lands” forced Atkinson to retrace his steps back toward the Rock River, in the process losing days in his pursuit of Black Hawk. [Source: Along the Black Hawk Trail by William G. Stark]
That’s quite a description, of the area as trembling lands — it adds a pall strange, ominous, and memorable.