In the rolling countryside of southern Wisconsin, a 7,354-acre industrial facility rests anomalously on the landscape. This is the Badger Army Ammunition Plant, one of many arms production facilities that were built in great haste in the days following the United States’ entry into World War II.

The history of the Badger Plant and of the Sauk Prairie on which is was built is in fact an amalgam of many histories, beginning billions of years ago with the formation of some of the oldest and most durable rocks on earth: the Baraboo quartzite, which is found at the north end of the prairie where it verges upon the Baraboo Hills. These ancient rocks, together with a tremendous variety of glacial features, make the site one of international geological significance. The site's history includes several waves of glaciers, the most recent of which – the Wisconsin glaciation – stopped on the property, leaving behind its terminal moraine and other topographical features.

The history continues through the post-glacial arrival of prehistoric Native Americans, whose use of fire contributed to the creation and maintenance of the area’s native prairie and savanna vegetation. Sauk and Fox people lived on and near the prairie, and members of the Ho-Chunk Nation still live in the area, and the land holds great significance for them. Their inhabitation of the Sauk Prairie was interrupted when European-American settlers arrived in the mid-nineteenth century, converting the prairie into highly productive farms that formed the basis for a close-knit community until the construction of the Badger Plant in the early 1940s. Since then, the plant – its buildings, its products, and its very presence – have been a central element shaping the present-day character of southern Sauk County.

Following the construction of the Badger Plant in 1942, the facility remained active or on stand-by status, prepared to respond to the nation’s defense needs. In 1997, the U.S. Army determined that the plant was no longer required for national defense. The Community Conservation Coalition for the Sauk Prairie came together with the goal of developing a shared vision for the future of these lands that emphasized their outstanding conservation value and their historical and cultural importance. The Coalition (now the Sauk Prairie Conservation Alliance) has worked to involve local citizens in the decision-making process and participated in the Badger Reuse Committee. The Badger Reuse Plan that the Committee produced incorporates the principles of the Alliance's vision for Badger.

Situated amid some of Wisconsin’s most critical natural areas and harboring important populations of rare and declining plant and animal species, the Badger lands provide a one-time-only opportunity for innovative conservation partnerships. By combining large-scale prairie and savanna restoration, with research and education, historical preservation, sustainable agriculture, and recreation, the Badger Reuse Plan seeks to integrate many components of land use in the same place at the same time. The goal is to honor the history of the site and enhance its inherent conservation values, while at the same time recognizing and acting upon this unique opportunity to create something entirely new. In 2002, the Sauk Prairie Conservation Alliance incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.  We look forward to helping the new landowners and the community implement the Badger Reuse Plan.

Adapted from an article by Curt Meine.

More about the Badger Army Ammunition Plant

Historical Overview
of the Badger Army
Ammunition
Plant Lands

Ecological Significance
of the Badger Plant