A longstanding tradition dating back to 1886, the annual meeting of the Rock Elm Old Settlers will held on Thursday, Nov. 7 at the Rock Elm Methodist Church. Lunch will be served at noon, followed by a short meeting and a special speaker to follow. This meeting is open to everyone, so if you are a local history lover, or have Rock Elm Township roots, we hope to see you at this year’s meeting. 

We are excited about going back further in our area’s history than normal for the topic to be covered at this year’s meeting. This year’s speaker is Dr. Bill Cordua. His presentation is on the Rock Elm Meteor Impact Structure: Discovery and Geology. The Rock Elm area is the site of 450-million-year-old impact crater that later filled with sediment and has now been partly exposed by erosion. This talk goes through, in layman's terms, how the feature was recognized and verified, producing the unique features of the area's landscape.

Cordua is a retired professor from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls where he taught geology for 40 years. He has written over 100 articles for the general public on geology. Dr. Cordua is in the education division of the Rockhound and Lapidary Hall of Fame and has received the Katherine Greacen Nelson Award honoring those who have made outstanding contributions to the earth sciences in Wisconsin.

The Rock Elm Old Settlers is a Chapter of the Pierce County Historical Association. We are very proud to carry on this long-standing tradition. We hope you will help us keep this tradition going, by attending the event, joining to be a member, or by making donations to the group. We would love if you could RSVP to ensure there will be enough food. 

Contact details: (phone) 715-594-3118, (email) info@piercecountyhistorical.org, (mailing address) PCHA, PO Box 148, Ellsworth, WI  54011, (website) www.piercecountyhistorical.org

Submitted by Julie Huebel, Secretary, Rock Elm Old Settlers