Presettlement Prairies of Michiana by Steve Sass

At the time of the arrival of Europeans to Michiana, most of the land was covered with hardwood forest. However, sprinkled among the vast forests were several tallgrass prairies. Prairies treeless areas were dominated by grasses with deep taproots and rejuvenated by fire on a regular basis. Today these priaries have vanished from our local landscapes. 

 

Join ecologist Steve Sass and Local History Branch Manager Jonathan Wuepper on Thursday, November 5, 2026 at 1:00pm at the Local History Branch in Cassopolis as they talk about where Michiana’s tallgrass prairies were located, flora that comprised the prairies, and some of the fauna that lived on our prairies such as the bison and greater prairie-chicken. 

 

Call or email to register: jwuepper@cass.lib.mi.us 269-357-7823.