USA > Iowa > Allamakee County > History of Winneshiek and Allamakee counties, Iowa > Part 37
USA > Iowa > Winneshiek County > History of Winneshiek and Allamakee counties, Iowa > Part 37
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* The increase in thickness is chiefly at the
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HISTORY OF ALLAMAKEE COUNTY.
base of the formation." The dimestones at the base of the Tren- ton, appear, from their chemical composition, to be better quali- fied to make good hydraulic cements than any others found in the * State of Iowa. * The following analy- sis will give an idea of the composition of the Trenton lime- stone as it exists in the northeastern corner of Iowa. The speci- men is from a quarry four miles south of Waukon:
"This is a very light drab-colored rock, not materially chang- ing its color or appearance by weathering. It breaks with a smooth fracture into rectangular fragments. Its texture is finely crystalline, and it is very compact and homogeneous with the ex- ception of minute specks of crystallized calcareous spar and bi- tumen which are sparsely scattered through it. It is in all res- pects a good building stone, splitting out in good shape, dressing easily and keeping its color well. This is not from one of the very fossiliferous layers of the blue limestone; but it contains a few fossils, and is colored by a trace of organic matter.
"Insoluble (silicate of alumina). 4.07
Carbonate ofiron. .62
Carbonate of lime. . 94.08 Carbonate of magnesia, alkalies, chlorine, sulphuric acid and loss 1.23
100.00
"The specimen analyzed above represents in character and composition the lower portion of the Blue limestone, as developed throughout the northeastern corner of the State. It is quarried in numerous places, and affords the best material, both for build- ing stone and for lime, being an almost pure carbonate of lime. It sometimes fades slightly on exposure by the gradual disappear- ance of the organic matter which it contains; and is not unfre- quently colored of a light buff on the exterior by the oxidation of the iron which it contains in the form of carbonate of the pro- toxide."
"The passage from the Trenton into the Galena limestone above is not an abrupt one; on the contrary there are, in many locali- ties, several alternations of calcareo-magnesian and purely calcar- eous layers between the two formations.'
The Galena Limestone is found in this county, only in the southern portions, occupying the surface of the elevated country south of the Yellow River. North of that stream a few outliers of this rock are found on the highest points, above the Trenton, but as we proceed northward these disappear entirely, and give place to the Trenton which occupies by far the largest portion of the surface of the county, south of the Upper Iowa, and is the most valuable rock we have, economically considered, because of its properties for building purposes, for lime and other uses; although portions of the Galena and the Lower Magnesian are also well adapted for building pur- poses. The Galena is the rock in which are found the valuable lead
334
HISTORY OF ALLAMAKEE COUNTY.
deposits of this State in the vicinity of Dubuque; but it does not appear in this county in sufficient thickness to warrant expecta- tions of any future developments of value in that respect.
Prof. Hall says: "The Galena limestone as usually developed is a rather thick-bedded, light-grayish or light yellowish-gray dolomite, distinctly crystalline in its texture and usually rather course grained, although occasionally so finely granular as to be almost compact." It "closely resembles in lithological character, as well as in chemical composition, the Lower Magnesian from which it is separated by the Trenton. It is, however, more uniform in its texture, and does not exhibit the breceiated and concretion- ary structure."
It will be seen by those who are conversant with the geological system of this county, that while the survey by Prof. Hall twenty- five years age is substantially correct, he was not aware of the great irregularity in the various strata throughout the interior of the county which has since been developed in the shape of "faults", undulations, upheavals and other evidences of internal disturbances. In numerous instances "breaks have occurred in such manner as to show the entirely different formation of rock abutting upon each other, and side by side occupying large tracts of country on the same level, as in the case just northeast of Waukon, where a pure sand rock composes the entire surface, hills and valleys, on the east of an abrupt dividing line which separates it from a purely limestone formation.
In this place it is appropriate to allude to Hon. Samuel Mur- dock's discovery of a fossiliferous rock underlying the Potsdam Sandstone. We quote from an article written by him in 1875.
"From the neighborhood of Lansing there is a rapid southern dip in all the formations along the river, and this is so rapid that the whole thickness of one formation is entirely hid in the space of twenty miles, and this rate will correspond with the whole of them. Now if this dip was confined to any one of these forma- tions alone we might conclude that it was originally formed' at this angle, but when we see them all conform to the same dip and preserve a uniform thickness, it forbids the idea of an original slant. From the neighborhood of Lansing there is also a corres- ponding northern dip in all the formations, leaving the conclus- ion upon us, that somewhere in the neighborhood of this city, a powerful subterranean force is constantly being exerted to heave up a large portion of Iowa and Wisconsin, I am therefore strong- ly disposed to look to the new rock which I have recently discov- ered, lying beneath the Potsdam sandstone, as the great lever that is doing the work."
"At the city of Lansing it rises to an altitude of more than two hundred feet above the level of the river, and can be traced to the water's edge, is largely composed of lime, and this substance in contact with both heat and water would furnish, perhaps, the
335
HISTORY OF ALLAMAKEE COUNTY.
largest expansive force of any other rock known upon the globe. Having recently traced this rock for several miles up the Little Iowa, and again into Wisconsin up and along the Kickapoo, and de- termined that it has both a northern and southern dip, I am therefore prepared to say that it forms a ridge in this neighbor- hood of only about ten miles across, when it is lost again from sight upon either side. How far this new rock can be traced east and west from Lansing I am not prepared to say, but I am in- clined to believe that ten by thirty miles will cover the whole area of its exposure, when it fades out of sight beneath the Potsdam sandstone. This new rock is undoubtedly of vast thickness, and like some huge monster of the great deep, is pushing its way up- ward with giant strength, lifting and tilting everything above it, as if they were but feathers in its way. It contains within its folds the remains of a dead world that flourished in the dim long ago, and over these remains the future geologist may well ponder, and contemplate the vast cycle of time that has elapsed since they flourished in life and activity."
And again, from an article published in 1876:
"Several years ago while wandering over the beautiful bluffs that overlook the thriving city of Lansing, in Allamakee County, in company with James I. Gilbert, he called my attention to a pe- culiar ledge of rocks that forms the base of the hill in the immed- iate rear of the city. Since that time, I have found that it run under the Potsdam sandstone.
"With the exception of this fact, I supposed it to be devoid of geological interest, and it was not until a recent visit to Lansing that I discovered this roek to be rich in fossil remains. I discover both the vertebrated fish and the articulated worm in great num- bers, and I have no doubt that upon a close examination, both the Radiates and Mollusks could be found in equal numbers.
"Dr. Ranney, an intelligent scientist of Lansing, while disputing with me the fact that this rock underlies the Potsdam, but claims that it only exists in a basin, and is of a modern lake deposit, in- forms me that he found in this rock in a fossil state, a perfect cat- fish, resembling in every particular its fellows of our present rivers.
"The city of Lansing is built upon this rock, while it still rises above the town and forms a second bench about two hundred feet above the level of the river, while its lowest strata runs beneath the water.
"About two miles south of the city it is again seen beneath the Potsdam, but at a much lower level than its surface at the city, and here it is rapidly dipping to the south, while at the city it rapidly dips to the north, and in a few miles either way it des- cends out of sight.
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HISTORY OF ALLAMAKEE COUNTY.
"Some great internal force has served to raise it up north of the valley of the Lansing creek that did not operate south of that stream, and must have broken a fissure which afterwards became the valley of the stream.
"This rock is composed of lime, sand and shale in alternate de- posits; the streaks of sand often very thin, and alternating through the entire mass."
The "Iron Mountain."-Prof. Hall failed to notice any evi- dences of iron ore other than "in some localities the rock is highly charged with oxide of iron * of which the origin appears to be from the decomposition of iron pyrites." "Oxide of iron, or hematite, is occasionally present in small nodules" in the Pots- dam sandstone, etc. But it has long been known to some resi- dents of the county that fragments and boulders of iron ore were scattered over the surface of the ground along and on either side of Makee Ridge, two or three miles northeast of Waukon, and that in some places the road-bed seemed to be of solid iron. No particular notice had been taken of this, however, by outsiders, until within the past few years, through the efforts of Mr. Chas. Barnard, who has taken pains to furnish several experienced iron men with samples of this ore, who have in every instance given analysis showing it to be a good quality of red hematite, of a purity ranging from 50 to 70 per cent. Mr. Barnard has exam- ined the deposit carefully for several years, and is satisfied that it is not merely a shell, but a rich mine of great depth, and that if the surface ore which has been exposed to the air yields 65 per cent. of the pure metal, the interior deposits must be as rich as any now known. Nothing but actual trial can determine whether this apparently great, solid mass of iron ore is really what it appears. However, now that outside parties of capital are becoming interested in the matter, it would seem, at this writing (July, 1882,) that its value will soon be ascertained. The following extracts from an article by A. M. May, editor of the Waukon Standard, published in that paper of May 18, 1882, will give a tolerably clear idea of the situation of this bed of ore:
"We know it is against the geological arrangement of strata as usually seen in this part of Iowa, that such a bed should exist, and that it is not mentioned in any report; and that we have been laughed at in years gone by for suggesting that iron did exist here in any appreciable quantity ; but we have believed it because we have seen it and know it is here. The only question in our mind was: Is it rich enough to pay for working?
"The ore bed is situated about two miles northeast of town. The Lansing road crosses it near the old Sloan place. It extends east or beyond where the road turns nearly north towards the poor farm. Thence irregularly southwest to a little below the
337
HISTORY OF ALLAMAKEE COUNTY.
old C. J. White place, and then with a northwesterly curve to the place of beginning. The old Stoddard house is somewhere near the northern center of the bed.
"Not long since we made a thorough examination of it in com- pany with Mr. C. Barnard, who came from an iron and coal coun- try and has had years of experience in mining. We first struck the ore on the south side near the old White place, and followed up the ravine nearly to the top of the hill; crossed the ridge to another ravine; and made a general examination of fields, ravines and washes. The bed is bounded on the south and east, by the St. Peter sandstone; on the west and north by the Trenton lime- stone. The bed extends much further down the hill going south than it does going north. The change from the iron bed proper to the other formations is abrupt. At the old White and Stod- dard places, there are springs of soft water, while all other springs in this county, so far as we know, are hard water. In following up the ravines a person can walk almost the entire dis- tance on ore. No other rock formation shows itself. The ra- vines wash out till the ore is struck and can wash no lower. The sides of the washes are lined with ore. It crops out on the sum- mits of the hills in large boulders. From our examinations, we should say there was at least two hundred acres two hundred feet deep of the ore. There are now thousands of tons of it in sight. This is an estimate, and not by measurement. Of course it can- not be positively determined to what depth it does extend; sink- ing a shaft only can determine that. Our opinion is that it is an upheaval of considerable and perhaps great depth, and not merely a shell on the surface."
And the following from the Dubuque Trade Journal of about the same date relates to iis availability :
"Here would seem to be a mine of wealth, a genuine bonanza awaiting the advent of capital, enterprise and skill, to establish an industry that would redound in fortunes to all concerned. The only drawback is the want of fuel in the immediate vicinity. But fortunately, from the deposit to the Mississippi river, which is not far off, there is a continuous down grade. The ore can therefore be easily taken to the water and then floated in barges to Dubu- que to be smelted. If thought advisable, smelting furnaces might be established in the Turkey river district, where an abundance of the best wood is found; or, for that matter, anywhere along the banks of the river on either side for a distance of more than seventy-five miles. Furthermore, a railroad connection of not more than three miles would place the valuable freightage in the hands of the Waukon railroad. By water or rail the grade is downward, so that under any circumstances the transportation would be of the easiest kind."
From a personal examination of this iron bed, in company with Mr. Barnard, we found that recent heavy rains had washed out
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HISTORY OF ALLAMAKEE COUNTY.
the ravines so as to expose the ore in better shape, giving more favorable indications than before. In several places strata of fine blue clay are found of considerable thickness, possibly in sufficient quantities to warrant the undertaking of the manufacture of white brick. In other places, at the base of the iron exposure, there was observed a heavy bed of what is pronounced by those familiar with its appearance to be a superior quality of potter's clay.
The main portion of this iron deposit lies on Section 17, extend- ing to the south on to Section 20, and to the west on to Section 18, covering a total area of about 328 acres. On its southern bor- der is nothing but sandstone; to the west it abuts abruptly upon a limestone filled with fossils; a limestone without fossils lies on its north; while on the east are found sandstone, limestone and a black granite, the latter being found nowhere else in this region with the exception of small boulders of glacial deposit in some localities. The springs of soft water which flow from near the centre of this area, are strongly impregnated with iron, but no complete analysis has yet been made. Numerous beds of blue clay are also found here and there over this area; and the more the region is studied the more wonderful geological surprises does it present to the observer.
Since the above was written one of the numerous analysis, made by a thoroughly competent man, has been published, as follows:
52.571
Sesquioxide of manganese
8.054
Sesquioxide of cobalt.
.23
Alumina
1.777
Lime
1.090
Magnesia.
.374
Sulphuric acid.
.047
Phosphoric acid .. 4.092
Water and organic matter 13.134
Silicious matter
18.631
100,000
In regard to the extent of the ore, Mr. Barnard, after careful examination, has made out the following list of owners and num- ber of acres owned by each :
Thomas Meroney, acres.
35
John Barthell
103
James Hall
35
John Kasser.
40
20
C. Helman. .
20
Mrs. S. S. Johnson
25
Gilman Nelson.
Total number of acres exposed. 333
Fossil Marble .- This term is applied to the fossiliferous layers of blue limestone found in such profusion in certain quarries in
John Griffin 35
G. Schellschmidt.
20
Sesquioxide of iron. .
339
HISTORY OF ALLAMAKEE COUNTY.
the central portion of the county. These layers or strata are composed almost entirely of a mass of organic forms, the fossil remains of the numerous pieces of mollusks so characteristic of that epoch, possessing such a degree of cohesion, however, that the rock which they compose is used extensively in building, and is susceptible of a high degree of polish, like marble. When so polished, the surface presents a most beautiful appearance, showing as it does the hundreds of curious forms of shells, corals, etc., in one solid mass of confusion, though each distinctly pre- served as they were huddled together by the waters of the ancient ocean in which they had their existence, and from which they were so wonderfully preserved for our study and admiration. So wrought, this rock is useful for all ornamental purposes; is inex- pensive and much used for mantels, table tops, etc., in place of marble, and is aptly christened "fossil marble."
Artesian Wells .- The well near Harper's Ferry was bored in 186-, with the hope of finding petroleum. Of course the pro- ject was a failure. Prof. White says: "It is quite remarkable that the most careful tests failed to find any iron in it. This water has been reported to be strongly impregnated with salt. The analysis will show no warrant for such a statement. One liter of the water contains .79 grains of solid matter, of which there are of
Sulphuric acid. .082 grams
Hydrochloric acid.
.193
Calcium oxyd .. .096
Magnesium oxyd. .045
"The depth of this well has been variously stated, and it has been found impossible to get a perfectly satisfactory account of the strata passed through by the drill."
The first artesian well at the foot of Main street, in Lansing, was drilled in April, 1877, and began to flow at a depth of 366 feet. Granite was struck at 760 feet, and the work ceased, with a flow of 320 gallons per minute; but this well not having a suffi- cient "head" of water for practical purposes (33} feet only), another was started, but abandoned at 440 feet, and a third one undertaken further up town, which was completed in July, the depth being 676 feet, and the flow greater than at the first well. The water is clear, cold, and soft, with no bad taste.
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HISTORY OF ALLAMAKEE COUNTY.
CHAPTER II.
Botany, Zoology and Entomology; Climate; Storms and Torna- does; Agriculture, Lire Stock and Manufacturing Interests; Tables of Statistics.
The botany of Allamakee County is rich in species, both of exogens and endogens. The country on the whole may be con- sidered well wooded, though many of the groves that now dot the prairie are the result of forethought on the part of the early set- tlers, who planted trees for shelter from the winds of winter and the summer sun, and are well repaid by the enhanced beauty and value of their farms thereby.
Among the forest trees and shrubs of the county are found the oaks, white, black, and minor varieties; the hard and soft maples, which here grow to perfection; the hickory, butternut, black walnut, hackberry; ash, white and black; elms, cottonwood, pop- lar, birch, willows, several species; basswood, honey locust and mulberry, rare; wild plum, crab-apple, wild cherry, iron-wood, thorn-apple, elder, sumach, hazel, gooseberry, raspberry, black- berry, wild grape, etc., among the deciduous varieties; and the common white pine, red cedar, balsam fir, trailing hemlock and trailing juniper among the evergreens. Besides these, all the hardier varieties of fruit trees, ornamental shade trees and shrubs, do well when introduced into this region, as the apple, pear, cherry, grape, currants, chestnut, buckeye, mountain ash, larch, spruce, arbor-vitæ, etc.
In regard to fruit trees, the experience of most of the early comers who attempted to grow apples of the varieties which had prospered well in their former homes, was discouraging in the extreme, and the trees killing out winter after winter induced nearly all to give up the attempt. There were a few, however, in different portions of the county, who believed that with judicious selection and management the apple would be made a success, and about 1855 and 1856 there were numerous nurseries established, nearly every one of which proved failures. Among those who entered this branch of horticulture was D. W. Adams, who estab- lished a nursery at Waukon in 1856, and persevering year after year, casting aside as worthless such varieties as winter-killed and propagating only such as readily became acclimated, he succeeded in establishing the fact that some of the best apples in the coun- try can be easily grown in this region. He to-day has forty acres of bearing orchard, probably as fine as any in the Northwest, which has yielded as high as 2,000 bushels per annum. Through- out the county, too, are many orchards in bearing, supplied with the varieties which have proven themselves well adapted to this climate-some of them seedlings of remarkable excellence.
E. E. Cooley
TILDEN FOL-0-TAK
*
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HISTORY OF ALLAMAKEE COUNTY.
Of the herbs and small shrubs the number is very great. From early spring, when the anemone or wind flower appears upon the hill-side, until the late frosts of fall, there is a constant succession of floral beauties. Among the more common of these herbs and flowers may be mentioned the buttercups, liverwort, cowslip, prairie pinks, blood root, sorrel, dandelion (said to have first ap- peared with the coming of the white man), thistles, lilies, sun- flowers (many varieties), asters, bone-set or thoroughwort, wild rose, strawberry, may weed, lobelia, cardinal flower, wild pea, la- dy's slipper (yellow and purple, the latter not common), May ap- ple or mandrake, several species of milk-weed, morning glory, etc., as well as many kinds of beautiful ferns and mosses in the shady dells. Of course a number of plants and grasses have been introduced that have become practically indigeneous. The tame grasses have found a congenial home in the rich prairie soil, and afford the most luxuriant pasturage for all kinds of live stock.
This chapter would be incomplete without an allusion to the lotus, or the beautiful and fragrant cream-colored water-lily, which expands ten inches in diameter, and is found in the sloughs along the Mississippi river. It is said to grow in but few locali- ties in North America.
ZOOLOGY.
The natural history of Allamakee County deserves to be studied with more care and scientific accuracy than has yet been bestowed thereon. And especially should the young people be encouraged to take an interest in a study so attractive as well as useful. Spe- cies once common are becoming extinct, and others not native here are appearing year by year and taking the place of those that are disappearing. Not one in twenty of our boys knows what in- sects are useful to the farmer, nor what birds; and of the latter great numbers are annually slaughtered in wanton sport, which, had their lives been spared, would render valuable aid to the far- mer and horticulturist in ridding him of annoying and destructive insect pests.
The principle mammalia found in the county by the early settlers were the panther, gray wolf, prairie wolf, lynx, wild cat, raccoon, skunk, mink, weasel, beaver, otter, muskrat, rabbit (hare), bat, shrew, mole, fox, black bear, gray squirrel, fox squirrel, flying squirrel, striped squirrel (or chipmunk), gray gopher and striped gopher (or ground squirrels), woodchuck or ground hog, the pouched or pocket gopher, and mice of several species. Rats were so early an importation by steamers that it would not be surpris- ing to see some gray veteran, with the impudence of his race, ap- pear and claim a share of the banquet at a pioneer's meeting. The porcupine has also been found in this region, we believe. An oc- casional red squirrel has been obtained of late years, though not observed when the county was first settled. Since white men set-
22
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HISTORY OF ALLAMAKEE COUNTY.
tled in the county its prairies have not been shaken by the tramp of buffalo (more properly bison), which were undoubtedly at one time to be found within our borders. Elk were found here at first, but have disappeared long since. Red deer were very plentiful for many years after the county was settled, and a few are killed each year to this day along the bluffy regions of the Iowa and Yellow Rivers. At as late a date as December, 1870, we have an instance of no less than ten being shot in a three days' hunt, par- ticipated in by four men, in the Iowa Valley. The latest instance we have of the capture of a beaver in our county borders was in November 26, 1874, when one was killed on the farm of C. J. F. Newell, on the Yellow River, in Franklin Township, This speci- men was three feet, eight inches long, and weighed forty-eight pounds. Of wolves, wild cats and foxes, there are still a sufficient number to warrant the county in paying a bounty upon their scalps, and they do not seem to decrease as rapidly as the sheep and poultry owners might wish, as the following comparison will show: In the five months' ending, June 1, 1871, the county paid bounties upon 47 wolves (including whelps), 37 wild cats and 40 foxes. In the year ending, December 31, 1881, the number paid for was-wolves 88, wild cats 43, and foxes 23. Occasional lynx are included in this number and classed among the cats.
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