Editing Muscoda, Wisconsin (section)

==History and culture==
Explorer and historian William Pidgeon, who visited the area in 1840, reported that Muscoda was "the ancient location of a large Indian village, but at present occupied by a few white families. This village is situated on an extensive plain of sandy soil, on the surface of which may be seen relics of many an ancient mound, varying much in size and form; some resembling redoubts, or fortifications, others presenting the forms of gigantic men, beasts, birds, and reptiles, among which may be found the eagle, the otter, the serpent, the alligator, and others pertaining to the deer, elk, and buffalo species. The highland in the vicinity of this village abounds with monuments that bear testimony to the ancient existence of an immense population in those regions."<ref>William Pidgeon. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=Ql8rAQAAIAAJ&q=traditions+de+coo+dah Traditions of De-Coo-Dah and Antiquarian Researches]''. New York: Thayer, 1858, p. 44.</ref>

Muscoda became known as English Prairie, named for two English fur traders, Abraham Lansing and Garrit Roseboom, who opened a post at the close of the [[French and Indian War]]. Lansing and his son were murdered in 1763 by their French assistants and the fame of the murder kept the name English Prairie alive until 1840.<ref>[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.asp?action=view&term_id=3490&term_type_id=2&term_type_text=places&letter=E English Prairie [origin of place name&#93;<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

The word Muscoda (pronounced "MUS-co-day") may be a corruption of the Ojibwa (Chippewa) word ''mashkode'', meaning "prairie".<ref>[https://ojibwe.lib.umn.edu/main-entry/mashkode-ni Word Definition<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> It may also have been taken from Longfellow's ''Hiawatha'', in which it is mentioned several times. The word's popular meaning was "Prairie of Flowers".<ref>[https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS10898 Muscoda: Origin of Muscoda, Wisconsin]. Wisconsin Historical Society.</ref>

Muscoda has billed itself as the "Wisconsin's Morel Capital" since 1982 and hosts the "[[Morel]] Mushroom Festival" every year on the weekend following Mother's Day.<ref>[http://www.muscoda.com Morel Mushroom Festival]</ref> The event includes carnival rides, tractors pulls, tournaments, merchant stands, food booths, and portable tattoo parlors.