The ancient beaches of Lake Agassiz are subtle features in the landscape, generally unnoticed except by persons specifically looking for them. I recognize some of the beaches when I cross them, but am too geologically ignorant to discern most of them.

A Plains Folk essay from NDSU history professor Tom Isern, A One-Spotted Hog.

Tom Isern shares a Plains Folk essay, Give Us Our Try.

The ancient beaches of Lake Agassiz are subtle features in the landscape, generally unnoticed except by persons specifically looking for them. I recognize some of the beaches when I cross them, but am too geologically ignorant to discern most of them. I do claim to know something about books, however. So I am embarrassed to confess how undiscerning I was on first reading Bill Redekop’s new book, Lake Agassiz: The Rise and Demise of the World’s Greatest Lake . I’ll resume my confession in a

One of the joys of my job is that I get to call fabulous experiences “work.” The most popular course I teach is the history of Australia and New Zealand, a region where I maintain active research interests. This compels me to fly over frequently to maintain my chops in the field.