History of Scott County, Iowa, Part 8

Author: Inter-state Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.)
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago, Inter-state publishing co.
Number of Pages: 1280

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The St. Louis limestone is the uppermost of the subcarbon- iferous group in Iowa. It occupies a sinall superficial area, con- sisting of long, narrow strips, yet ite extent is very great. It is first seen resting on the geode division of the Keokuk limestone, near Keokuk; proceeding northward, it forms a narrow border along the edge of the coal fields in Lee, Des Moines, Henry, Jef_ ferson, Washington, Keokuk and Mahaska Counties; it is then lost sight of until it appears again in the banks of Boone River, where it again passes out of view under the Coal Measures, until it is next seen in the banks of the Des Moines, near Fort Dodge. As it exists in Iowa, it consists of three tolerably distinct sub-divisions: the magnesian, arenaceous and caleareons. The upper division furnishes excellent material for quieklime, and when quarries are well opened, as in the northwestern part of Van Buren County, large blocks are obtained. The sandstone, or middle division, is of little economie value. The lower, or magnesian division, furnishes a valuable and durable stone, exposures of which are found on Liek Creek, in Van Buren County, and on Long Creek, seven miles west of Burlington.

Of the fossils of this formation, the vertebrates are represented only by the remains of fish, belonging to the two orders, Selachians and Ganoids. The Articulates are represented by one species of the trilobite, genus Phillipsia; and two ostracoid genera, Cythra and

HISTORY OF IOWA.

Beyricia. The Mollusks distinguish this formation more than any other branch of the animal kingdom. Radiates are exceedingly rare, showing a marked contrast between this formation and the two preceding it.

The Coal-Measure Group is properly divided into three forma- tions, viz .: the Lower, Middle and Upper Coal Measures, each having a vertical thickness of about 200 feet.

The Lower Coal Measures exist eastward and northward of the Des Moines River, and also occupy a large area westward and southward of that river, but their southerly dip passes them below the Middle Coal Measures at no great distance from the river. This formation possesses greater economic value than any other in the whole State. The clay that underlies almost every bed of coal furnishes a large amount of material for potter's use. The sand- stone of these measures is usually soft and unfit, but in some places, as in Red Rock in Marion County, blocks of large dimen- sions are obtained, which make good building material, samples of which can be seen in the State Arsenal, at Des Moines.

But few fossils have been found in any of the strata of the Lower Coal Measures, but such animal remains as have been found are without exception of marine origin. All fossil plants found in these measures probably belong to the class Aerogens. Speci- miens of Calamites and several species of ferns are found in all the Coal Measures, but the genus Lepidodendron seems not to have ex- isted later than the epoch of the Middle Coal Measures. The latter formation occupies a narrow belt of territory in the southern cen- tral portion of the State, embracing a superficial area of about 1,400 square miles. The counties underlaid by this formation are Guthrie, Dallas, Polk, Madison, Warren, Clarke, Lucas, Monroe, Wayne and Appanoose.

Few species of fossils occur in these beds. Some of the shales and sandstone have afforded a few imperfectly preserved land plants, three or four species of ferns, belonging to the genera. Some of the carboniferous shales afford beautiful specimens of what appear to have been sea-weeds. Radiates are represented by corals. The Mollusks are most numerously represented. Trilobites and ostracoids are the only remains known of Articulates. Verte- brates are only known by the remains of Selachians, or sharks, and ganoids.

The Upper Coal Measures occupy a very large area, comprising 13 whole counties, in the southwestern part of the State. By its northern and eastern boundaries it adjoins the area occupied by the

HISTORY OF IOWA.

Middle Coal Measures. This formation contains a considerable proportion of shales and sandstone, but the prominent litho- logical features are its limestones. Although it is known by the name of Upper Coal Measures, it contains but a single bed of coal, and that only about 20 inches in maximum thickness. The limestone exposed in this formation furnishes good building material, as in Madison and Fremont Counties. The sandstones are quite worthless. No beds of elay for potter's use are found in the whole formation. The fossils are more numerous than in either the Middle or Lower Coal Measures. The vertebrates are represented by the fishes of the orders Selachians and Ganoids. The Articulates are represented by the trilobites and ostracoids. Mollusks are represented by the elasses Cephalapoda, Gasterapoda, Lamellibranchiata, Brachiopoda and Polyzoa. Radiates are more numerous than in the Middle and Lower Coal Measures. Pro- tozoans are represented in the greatest abundance, some layers of limestone being almost entirely composed of their small fusiform shells.

CRETACEOUS SYSTEM.

The next strata in the geological series are of the Cretaccons age. They are found in the western half of the State, and do not dip, as do all the other formations npon which they rest, to the southward and westward, but have a general dip of their own to the north of westward, which, however, is very slight. Although the actual exposures of cretaceous rocks are few in Iowa, there is reason to believe that nearly all the western half of the State was originally occupied by them; but they have been removed by denudation, which has taken place at two separate periods. The first period was during its elevation from the eretaceons sea, and during the long Tertiary age that passed between the time of that elevation and the commencement of the Glacial epoch. The second period was during the Glacial epoch, when the ice pro- duced their entire removal over considerable areas. All the ere- taceons rocks in Iowa are a part of the same deposits farther up the Missouri River, and in reality form their eastern boundary.

The Nishnabotany sandstone has the most easterly and southerly extent of the eretaceous deposits of Iowa, reaching the southeastern part of Guthrie County and the southern part of Montgomery County. To the northward, it passes beneath the Woodbury sand- stones and shales, the latter passing beneath the Inoeeramus, or

HISTORY OF IOWA.

chalky beds. This sandstone is, with few exceptions, valueless for economie purposes. The only fossils found in this formation are a few fragments of angiospermous leaves. The strata of Woodbury sandstones and shales rest upon the Nishnabotany sandstone, and have not been observed outside of Woodbury County: hence their name. Their principal exposure is at Sergeant's Bluffs, seven miles below Sioux City. This rock has no value except for pur- poses of common masonry. Fossil remains are rare. Detached scales of a lepidoginoid species have been detected, but no other vertebrate remains. Of remains of vegetation, leaves of Salix Meekii and Sassfras cretaceum have been occasionally found.

The Inoceramus beds rest upon the Woodbury sandstone and shales. They have not been observed in Iowa except in the bluffs which border the Big Sioux River in Woodbury and Plymouth Counties. They are composed almost entirely of calcareous mate- rial, the upper portion of which is extensively used for lime. No building material can be obtained from these beds, and the only value they possess, except lime, are the marls, which at some time may be useful on the soil of the adjacent region. The only verte- brate remains found in the cretaceous rocks are the fishes. Those in the Inoceramus beds are two species of squaloid Selachians, or cestracionts, and three genera of teliosts. Mollusean remains are rare.

PEAT.

Extensive beds of peat exist in Northern Middle Iowa, which it is estimated, contain the following areas: Cerro Gordo Co., 1,500 acres; Worth, 2,000; Winnebago, 2,000; Hancock, 1,500; Wright, 500; Kossuth, 700; Dickinson, 80. Several other counties contain peat beds, but the peat is inferior to that in the northern part of the State. The beds, are of an average depth of four feet. It is estimated that each acre of these beds will furnish 250 tons of dry fuel for each foot in depth. At present this peat is not utilized; but owing to its great distance from the coal fields and the ab- sence of timber, the time is coming when their value will be fully realized.

GYPSUM.

The only sulphate of the alkaline earths of any economic value is gypsum, and it may be found in the vicinity of Fort Dodge in Webster County. The deposit occupies a nearly central position in the county, the Des Moines River running nearly centrally through 1

HISTORY OF IOWA.

it, along the valley sides of which the gypsum is seen in the form of ordinary rock cliff and ledges, and also occurring abundantly in similar positions along both sides of the valleys of the smaller streams and of the numerous ravines coming into the river valley. The most northerly known limit of the deposit is at a point near the mouth of Lizard Creek, a tributary of the Des Moines River and almost adjoining the town of Fort Dodge. The most southerly point at which it has been exposed is about six miles, by way of the river, from the northerly point mentioned. The width of the area is unknown, as the gypsum becomes lost beneath the overly- ing drift, as one goes up the ravines and minor valleys.

On either side of the ereeks and ravines which come into the valley of the Des Moines River, the gypsum is seen jutting out from beneath the drift in the form of ledges and bold quarry fronts, having almost the exact appearance of ordinary limestone expos- ures, so horizontal and regular are its lines of stratification, and so similar in color is it to some varieties of that rock. The prin- cipal quarries now opened are on Two Mile Creek, a couple of miles below Fort Dodge.

Age of the Gyysum Deposit .- No trace of fossil remains has been found in the gypsum or associated clays; neither has any other indication of its geologie age been observed except that which is afforded by its stratigraphieal relations; the most that can be said with certainty is that it is newer than the coal measures, and older than the drift. The indications afforded by the stratigraph- ical relations of the gypsum deposit of Fort Dodge are, however, of considerable value. No Tertiary deposits are known to exist within or near the borders of Iowa, to suggest that it might be of that age, nor are any of the Palæozoie strata newer than the sub- carboniferous unconformable npon each other as the other gypsum is unconformable upon the strata beneath it. It therefore seems, in a measure, conclusive, that the gypsum is of Mesozoie age; per. haps older than the eretaceons.

The lithological origin of this deposit is as uncertain as its geo logical age. It seems to present itself in this relation, as in the former one,-an isolated fact. None of the associated strata show any traces of a double decomposition of pre-existing materials, such as some have supposed all deposits of gypsum to have resulted from. No considerable quantities of oxide of iron nor any trace of native sulphur have been found in connection with it, nor has any salt been found in the waters of the region. These substances are

HISTORY OF IOWA.

common in association with other gypsum deposits, and by many are regarded as indicative of the method of or resulting from their origin as such. Throughout the whole region the Fort Dodge gypsum has the exact appearance of a sedimentary deposit. Froni these facts it seems not unreasonable to entertain the opinion that this gypsum originated as a chemical precipitation in compara- tively still waters which were saturated with sulphate of lime and destitute of life; its stratification and impurities being deposited at the same time as clayey impurities which had been suspended in the same waters.

Physical Properties .- Mueh has already been said of the phys- ical character of this gypsum; but as it is so different in some re- speets from other deposits, there are still other matters worthy of mention in connection with those. According to the results of a complete analysis by Prof. Emery, the ordinary gray gypsum contains only about eight per cent. of impurity, and it is possible that the average impurity for the whole deposit will not exceed that proportion, so uniform in quality is it from top to bottom and from one end of the region to the other. As plaster for agricult- ural purposes is sometimes prepared from gypsum that contains thirty per cent. of impurity, it will be seen that this is a very supe- rior article for such purposes. The impurities are of such a charac- ter that they do not in any way interfere with its value for use in the arts.

Although the gypsum roek has a gray color, it becomes quite white by grinding, and still whiter by the calcimining process nee- essary in the preparation of plaster of Paris. These tests have all been practically made in the rooms of the Geological Survey, and the quality of the plaster of Paris still further tested by actual use and experiment. The only use yet made of the gypsum by the inhabitants is for the purposes of ordinary building stone. It is so compact that it is found to be comparatively nnaffected by frost, and its ordinary situation in walls of houses is such that it is pro- tected from the dissolving action of water, which can at most reach it only from occasional rains, and the effect of these is too slight to be perceived after the lapse of several years. Hon. John F. Duncombe, of Fort Dodge, built a fine residence of it in 1861, the walls of which appear as unaffected by exposure and as beau- tiful as they were when first erected. Several other houses in Fort Dodge have been constructed of it, including the depot build-

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ing of the Dubuque & Sioux City Railroad. Many of the side- walks in the town are made of the slabs or flags of gypsum which occur in some of the quarries in the forin of thin layers.

MINOR DEPOSITS OF SULPHATE OF LIME.

Sulphate of lime in the various forms of fibrous gypsum, sele- nite and small, amorphous masses, has also been discovered in va- rious formations in different parts of the State, including the Coal Measure shales near Fort Dodge, where it exists in small quanti- tics, quite independently of the great gypsum of deposit there. The quantity of gypsum in these minor deposits is always too small to be of any practical value, usually occurring in shales and shaly clays, associated with strata that contain more or less sul- phuret of iron. Gypsum has thus been detected in the Coal Meas- ures, the St. Louis limestone, the Cretaceous strata, and also in the dead caves of Dubuque.

SULPHATE OF STRONTIA.

This mineral is found at Fort Dodge, which is, perhaps, the only place in Iowa or in the valley of the Mississippi where it has as yet been discovered. . There it occurs in very small quantities in both the shales of the Lower Coal Measures, and in the clays that overlie the gypsum deposit, and which are regarded as of the same age with it. The mineral is fibrous and crystalline, the fibers be- ing perpendicular to the plane of the layer; it resembles in physical character the layer of fibro-crystalline gypsum, before mentioned. Its color is of light blue, is transparent, and shows crystalline facets upon both the upper and under surfaces of the layer, those of the upper surface being smaller and more numerous. The layer is probably not more than a rod in extent in any direction, and about three inches in maximum thickness. Apparent lines of stratification occur in it, corresponding with those of the shales which imbed it. The other deposit was still smaller in amount, and occurred as a mass of crystals imbedded in the clays that overlie the gypsum at Cummins' quarry in the valley of Soldier Creek, upon the north side of the town. The mineral in this case is nearly colorless, and somewhat resembles masses of impure salt. The crystals are so closely aggregated that they enclose but little impurity in the mass, but in almost all other eases their fundamental forms are obscured. This mineral has almost no practical value, and is only interesting as a mineralogical fact.

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SULPHATE OF BARYTA.

In Iowa this mineral has been found only in minute quantities. It has been detected in the Coal Measure shales of Decatur, Mad- ison and Marion Counties, Devonian limestone of Johnson and Bremer Counties, and also in the lead eaves of Dubuque. It is in the form of crystals or small crystalline masses.

SULPHATE OF MAGNESIA.

Epsomite or native Epsom salts having been discovered near Burlington, all the sulphates of alkaline earths of natural origin have been recognized in Iowa; all exeept the sulphate of lime being in very small quantity. The Epsomite mentioned was found beneath the overhanging cliff of Burlington limestone near Starr's Mill. It occurs in the form of efflorescent enerustations upon the surface of stones, and in similar small fragile masses among the pine debris that has fallen down beneath the overhanging eliff. The projection of the cliff over the perpendicular face of the strata beneath amounts to near 20 feet at the point where Epsomite was found. The roek upon which it accumulates is an impure lime- stone, containing also some carbonate of magnesia, together with a small proportion of iron pyrites in a finely divided condition. By experiments with this native salt in the office of the Survey, a fine article of Epsom salts was produced. but the quantity obtained there is very small, and would be of no practical value on ac- count of the cheapness in the market.

CLIMATE.

The greatest objection to the climate of this State is the preva- lence of wind, which is somewhat greater than in the States south and east, but not so great as it is west. The air is pure and gener- ally bracing,-the northern part particularly so during the winter. The prevailing direction of the wind during the whole year is easterly. Correspondingly, thunder-storms are somewhat more violent in this State than east or south, but not near so much so as toward the mountains. As elsewhere in the Northwestern States, easterly winds bring rain and snow, while westerly ones clear the sky. While the highest temperature occurs here in August. the month of July averages the hottest, and January the coldest. The mean temperature of April and October nearly corresponds to the

HISTORY OF IOWA.

mean temperature of the year, as well as to the seasons of spring and fall, while that of summer and winter is best represented by August and December. Indian summer is delightful and well prolonged. Untimely frosts sometimes occur, but seldom severely enough to do great injury. The wheat crop being a staple product of this state, and not injured at all by frost, this great resource of the State continues intact.

SETTLEMENT BY THE WHITES.

DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATIONS.

On the 18th of May, 1673, James Marquette and Louis Joliet, acting in the interest of and under the direction of the French authorities of Canada, started from the Straits of Mackinaw, in bark canoes, " to find out and explore the great river west of them, of which they had heard marvelous accounts from the In- dians about Lake Michigan." They were accompanied by five other Frenchmen, in the capacity of boatmen. Having coasted along the western shore of Lake Michigan for many days, they entered the bay of the Pnants, now known as Green Bay. From the southern extremity of Green Bay they ascended Fox River until they reached an Indian village, where had once been estab- lished a mission by Allouez. They found here a cross, and evidences of a rude sort of Christian worship. This village was the extreme western limit of missionary enterprise, and no European had penetrated beyond it. They were here treated very hospitably by the natives, and were furnished two Indian guides to conduct them across the portage to the Wisconsin River, which was said to flow into the "great river." The Indians, however, deemed their mission hazardous in the extreme, and endcavored to dissuade them from it. Reaching the portage, they carried their provisions and light canoes on their backs across the dividing ridge to the banks of the Wisconsin. They were now in the valley of the river they were secking. The Indians left our travelers at this point, after once more trying to dissuade them from the perilous journey. They told Marquette of fierce nations of Indians who would destroy him without canse. There was a tradition, also, of monsters in the great river that would swallow both man and his

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canoe; and a demon, or manitou, that buried in the boiling waters all who ventured upon them. Marquette simply thanked his friends for the warning; but he could not follow their advice, " sinee the salvation of souls was at stake, for which he would be overjoyed to give his life."

They floated down the rapid Wisconsin seven days, and reached the mighty Mississippi June 17. Entering that majestie eurrent, they " realized a joy that they could not express." Rapidly and easily they swept down to the solitudes below, and viewed on their journey the bold bluff's and beautiful meadows on the western bank of the stream, now revealed for the first time to the eyes of the white man. This was the discovery of Iowa, and on the basis of this and the subsequent explorations of La Salle, all the vast territory of the Mississippi Valley was elaimed by France, and so belonged to her until she ceded it to Spain, as part of Louisiana, in 1663.

Marquette and his party discovered an Indian trail on the west- ern shore about a hundred miles below the mouth of the Wiseon- sin, and determined to trace it and form some acquaintance with the tribes of that region. After a walk of several miles, they came in sight of an Indian town, or village. Commending them- selves to God, they made themselves known by a loud cry. Four old men met them and eondneted them into the village. They were presented to the council, and Marquette preached to them of Christianity. He also told them that the great captain of the French, the governor of Canada, had humbled the " Five Nations" of the Iroquois and compelled them to peace. This was good news to the Indians, and procured for Marquette's party a hearty wel- come and a plentiful feast. They remained with these hospitable savages six days, and on their departure were presented with the calumet, or pipe of peace, to be hung from Marquette's neck as a safeguard in perils to come.

They then deseended the Mississippi again, passed after many days the point where the transparent Mississippi mingles reluc- tantly with the turbid Missouri, the Pekitanoni of the Indians- They passed also the confinence of the Ohio, long called the Wabash, which likewise mingles its bright waters reluctantly with the turbid flood. By the middle of June they were in latitude 33 º north. Remaining here a short time with a friendly tribe in what is now Arkansas, they determined to return, as they had practically accomplished their mission. They began to aseend the

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river; and after several weeks of hard toil against a strong current, and exposed to numerous privations, they reached the mouth of the Illinois. Here they were told by the Indians that the Illinois afforded a much more direct route to the great lakes than that through the Wisconsin. They spent two weeks in ascending the Illinois and Desplaines. Then crossing to the Chicago Creek, they soon entered Lake Michigan.

During the rule of Louisiana by France, no efforts were made to form settlements in the remote country of Iowa. Nor was any- thing done under Spanish rulo until 1788, and this was only the individual enterprise of a Frenchman. At this date the greater portion of Iowa was in the possession of the confederated tribes of Sac and Fox Indians. The first occupation under elaim of title by a white man, of any portion of Iowa soil, was by Julien Dubuque. a native of Canada, who, in 1788, obtained from Blondeau and two other chiefs of the Fox Indians, what he asserted was a grant of lands. He bounded his claim as seven leagues on the west bank of the Mississippi, from the month of the Little Maquoketa to the- Tete Des Morts, and three leagues in depth. He also had a quali- fied confirmation of this grant from Carondelet, the Spanish Governor of New Orleans. IIe married an Indian squaw, and occupied the mines until the time of his death, in 1810, employing about 10 white men in digging mineral. He was buried on the bluff of the Mississippi at the mouth of Catfish Creek, and the city and county of Dubuque were afterward named for him. This claim of Dubuque's was the foundation of a claim to the soil by its heirs, that was long contested in the courts. It was not decided until 1854, when the Supreme Court decided that the grant was no more than a temporary license to dig ore, and constituted no valid claim to the soil.

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History of Scott County, Iowa, Part 8

Author: Inter-state Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.) Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Chicago, Inter-state publishing co. Number of Pages: 1280

Author: Inter-state Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.)
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago, Inter-state publishing co.
Number of Pages: 1280