I love to do historical research and in 2023 I became absorbed in learning more about my hometown’s founding settlers. I did the research as a part of a program I was offering at Nature At the Confluence, an environmental center located at the confluence of Turtle Creek and the Rock River. For thousands of years the land there has been occupied by Native Americans. In fact, in 1832, Ke-Chunk village was recorded as the largest Ho-Chunk village in WI and IL with over 650 inhabitants. After the Ho-Chunk were removed from the land by treaty, white settlers moved in and began to change the land – plowing under the prairie, changing the course of Turtle Creek, and forever changing the landscape at the confluence.
We know that so many women have lived here at the confluence of the Rock River and Turtle Creek, but we know so little of their lives. So much in written history is about men and their accomplishments and little is written about the women who lived here, raising their families. Caleb Blodgett is considered Beloit’s founding father, but in the program I put together I focused on his wife Chloe, Beloit’s founding woman. While I was researching Chloe, I realized what a remarkable, strong and resilient woman she was, so I first offered this program in honor of her for Women’s History Month.
There’s a song that comes at the end of the popular Broadway play Hamilton, about Alexander Hamilton’s life. At the close of the play, the lead characters sing this poignant song: “Who lives, who dies, who tells your story…Will they tell your story?”
In this program you’ll learn about Chloe Blodgett, wife of Beloit’s founder Caleb Blodgett. Chloe’s remarkable story has never been told, and this program will reveal newly discovered details about her life. Chloe Kidder, the daughter of a Revolutionary Soldier and mother to 10 children, followed her husband to the new frontier and helped establish what was to become Beloit. Learn about the extraordinary woman who settled this land and discover her joys and her hardships.
About Nature At The Confluence: Nature At The Confluence is an environmental center located at the confluence of Turtle Creek and The Rock River. Opened in 2017, it is located on about 80 acres surrounded by the Rock River, Turtle Creek and Kelly Creek, and you’ll find scenic beauty during every season. The campus offers a 5-acre prairie restoration, trails, learning gardens, pollinator gardens and programs are held throughout the year for all ages and interests!