Each area of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve has its own unique history because the University acquired these lands over a long period of time.  Even during the time the University owned these lands, the areas were managed in various ways.  While some areas were farmed, others were maintained as natural woodland.  Still others had buildings and summer residences such as the Tent Colony.  This cultural history affects how people feel about this area and the physical appearance and condition of the Preserve.

Professor Bill Cronon (an internationally distinguished environmental historian, the Frederick Jackson Turner and Vilas Research Professor of History, Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison)  believes that human uses and attitudes inevitably shape and alter natural systems.  He argued at the Friends of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve 2004 Annual Meeting that we cannot hope to protect urban natural areas unless we manage them quite explicitly.  The cultural values they embody must be recognized and attention must be paid to the complex political coalitions these values generate.
For highlights of his presentation, see:

• Cronon on the CNA:  Beloved Cultural Landscapes

Daniel Einstein, UW-Madison environmental manager, has been piecing together elements of University of Wisconsin-Madison cultural history.   He has traced the changes of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve as it evolved from open oak savannah to "fancy farm" and to its current uses for university research, teaching and recreational activities.   In this Jean Meanwell interview, he shares some of the changes and the artifacts remaining in the Preserve: 

As part of the University of Wisconsin’s Cultural Landscape Plan, a collection of old photographs postcards, maps, and plans of the Preserve and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have been digitized and posted on the web: