ABSTRACT The physical and fluvial development of the Driftless Area, largely in Wisconsin, has been investigated by James C. Knox and was the subject of a 1982 field trip. This chapter reviews and expands current understanding of the geomorphic history in and adjacent to the Driftless Area in northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota, and the paleoecology and paleoclimates that were important in the late glacial and Holocene landform development. This information was largely obtained using fossil pollen, plant macrofossils, fossil mammals and insects, and cave speleothem records.