A botanical history of Downer Woods

Abstract

The pattern of vegetation which occurs in Downer Woods, a wooded tract on The University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee campus and a landmark on Milwaukee's east side, is a reflection of the uses to which it has been subjected for a period of over two hundred years. Information to document this has been compiled by students in various field courses and by faculty members and individual students who carried out independent investigations in this woods. These persons checked land deed records, surveyors records, interviewed long-time residents who are familiar with the woods, counted tree rings and evaluated the present vegetation through a variety of sampling methods. The historical interpretation presented here is essentially their story.