Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin: The Nation's First Solar Village Following a catastrophic flood of the Kickapoo River in 1978, in the upper Mississippi River watershed, the 600 citizens of Soldiers Grove were faced with a choice: rebuild their destroyed community behind new protective levees or relocate the town to higher ground. They chose to relocate and, in the process, recreated Soldiers Grove as a national model of energy efficiency and human ingenuity. With assistance from the U.S. Department of Energy and the University of Wisconsin, the town began the relocation process by identifying a suitable rebuilding location in a flat, well-drained area that was safely above the historic flood zone. Particular emphasis was given to selecting a site whose natural features would complement the creation of a solar-energy-dependent community. 1 of 3