What’s new at Firepoint Cafe
Welcome to Firepoint Cafe, where the proprietor, Therese Oldenburg, shares her writings, interests, thoughts and adventures with visitors. So, pull up a chair, grab your favorite beverage and enjoy some of what is being dished up!
Find joy in hitting the “repeat button” in nature
What I find most rewarding is walking the trails at Nature At The Confluence several times a week and finding new things to see and hear, and finding new ways to experience nature. It's never the same walk, as new things are exposed, or even obscured as the season...
The Mystery of Fur Trader Joseph Thibault
By Therese Oldenburg Notes: There are many variations of Joseph Thibault's name including Tebo, for the sake of consistency, we'll use Thibault in this story. All references about this time refer to "Winnebago" as the name of the Native American tribe living here....
Beloit – Expect the Unexpected
When I was executive director at Nature At The Confluence, I was very proud and excited to have both Nature At The Confluence and Turtle Creek paddling featured on Discover Wisconsin's "Beloit – Expect the Unexpected" episode (2019). I spent a whole day with host...
Ke-Chunk Remembrance
At the confluence of Turtle Creek and the Rock River, from about 1822-1832, there was a very large Ho-Chunk settlement called Ke-Chunk (Kečąk) or Turtle Village. The land they lived on is now an environmental learning, Nature At The Confluence. When I was executive...
Am I really that interesting?
In 2021 when I was still executive director at Nature At The Confluence, I was honored with being named one of Northwest Quarterly's 25 Most Interesting People of2021. While I don't think I'm all that interesting, I think what has happened at Nature At The Confluence...
The “American Letter” Home – How Irish Immigrant Women Supported Their Families Back Home in Ireland
In 1854 a group of 15 Irish families settled on the land at Nature At The Confluence. The recent Irish immigrants had come to build the new railroad, while their young wives strived to build a new home here. They called their small settlement "Illinoy", and it was to...
Environmental Leadership Award
When I was executive director at Nature At The Confluence I was very honored to receive the "Elly" Environmental Leadership Award from the Greater Beloit Chamber of Commerce at their annual dinner on February 27, 2018. This award brought wonderful recognition of the...