Where do bogs come from
Much of the land that was covered by the damming of the West Fork of the Chippewa River in 1923 was wetlands – peat bogs. Eventually enough gasses form to lift up an area of peat. Often these can still be hinged to the bottom so they are especially difficult to see.
Some hinged bogs seem to float up every fall and sink back down again in the winter. But often the floating peat breaks off from the bottom and a new bog is formed. At first, they are just a mud flat but soon after vegetation begins to sprout and thrive. Eventually even trees can grow on the floating bogs, acting as a sail to move them around. This makes the Chippewa Flowage bogs really unique.
