A soon-to-be released book examines the 130-year-old decline of a wetlands in Freeborn County.

“The Big Marsh,” by Cheri Register

Cheri Register

Cheri Register’s “The Big Marsh,” looks at the history of this Freeborn wetlands that was slowly drained in the name of agricultural progress.

The wetlands in question, lay northeast of Albert Lea and included the former Rice Lake. This book is an environmental history documenting from the personal point of view of Register who came upon her great-grandfather’s scathing critique of the draining according to a press release by Minnesota Historical Society Press.

“Following the clues he left, she uncovers the stories of life on the Big Marsh and of the ‘connivers’ who plotted its end: the Minneapolis land developer, his local fixer, an Illinois banker and the lovelorn local lawyer who did their footwork,” the press release said.

The book is due out Sunday with a book launch to be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 12 at Magers and Quinn Booksellers in Minneapolis. Two book signings are scheduled for 7 p.m. on May 24 in St. Paul and 7 p.m. June 9 in Iowa City, Iowa.