Leon Janssen has devoted the last two decades collecting and sharing the histories of the peoples of the lower Oconto River Valley – natives and settlers alike. He spent much of his youth on Meadow Brook Farm, in Couillardville, that was founded by his maternal grandparents in the 19th Century. It lies along the south bank of the Oconto River near the sites of the fictional villages where “Elianya’s Story” is set.
Inspired by his mother, who was an enthusiastic and accomplished local historian herself, Leon began collecting and sharing the memories of the many families that settled in this fertile valley. These stories are captured in the many books that he has published under the Meadow Brook Farm Publishing LLC imprint (see under “Other MBF Books”). Together, they provide a captivating view into the challenges and satisfactions of making a life – and a community – along this scenic stretch of the Oconto River over the years.