USA > Illinois > Schuyler County > Historical encyclopedia of Illinois, Volume 2 > Part 29
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mations as they really exist. llis report, how- where these deposits exceed a hundred feet in ever, covers the general scheme of geological for- mation, from which we quote as follows:
"The geological structure of Schuyler County includes the quaternary system. the lower por- tion of the coal measures, and the upper divi- sions of the lower carboniferous linestones, with sufficient thickness of the coal measures to bring in another coal seam. No. 5, which is not found in any county south of this on the west side of the Illinois River. The following section exhib- its the formations to be found in the county in their relative order of superposition and thick- ness :
Strata. Feet.
Quaternary, comprising Alluvian, Loess and Drift 100
Coal Measures 20 250
St. Louis Group. 30 to 40
Keokuk Group 60 to 70
"The three lower groups belong to what are called stratified rocks : that is. to those that have been formed in regular strata or layers, and also to that division of geological lime termed palco- soic, because the embedded fossils represent only ancient forms of animal and vegetable life. while the upper division belongs to the most recent geological age, and the fossils which it contains are the remains of animals now living or huit recently become extinct.
"If the geological series was complete we should have above the Coal measures, and inter- vening between that formation and the Quater- nary, the whole of the Secondary and Tertiary series, embracing many thousand feet in thick- ness of strata, and representiing in their fossil contents all the missing links in the great chaiu of organic life which connects the paleo- zoie age with the present. But as the Qua- ternary is the most recent of all geological sys- tems, it may be found resting directly upon any of the above deposits, from the Tertiary to the most ancient stratified or igneous rocks that out- crop on the surface of the earth. This system included the alluvian deposits of our river val- ley's, usually termed alluvion ; the Loess, a de- posit of buff-colored marly sauds and clays, minst conspicuous in the vicinity of the river bluffs. and the Drift, which usually consists of brown or bluish-gray gravelly clays, with water-worn boulders of various sizes, from an inch to several feet in diameter.
"There is probably no locality in the county
thickness, and they attain their greatest devel- opment in the vicinity of the river bluff's, where the Loess attains its greatest thickness, and rests upon the Drift clays. In the interior of the county the Loess is generally wanting, and the Drift deposits generally range from thirty to fifty feet in thickness, and consist of un- stratified clays, with sand and gravel. enclosing water-worn boulders of granite. sienite. gneiss. porphyry, horn-blende and quartzite, and also the rounded fragments of limestone and sandstone of the adjacent region. Fragments of copper, lead ore. coal. iron and other minerals are often found in the Drift, but their occurrence in this position is no indication of the proximity of any valuable deposits of these minerals, and the frag- ments which are found in this position are far removed from the beds from which they orig- inally came.
"The most important and valuable mineral resource of Schuyler County consists of the de- posits of bituminous coal, which underlie the greater portion of the county lying east of Crooked Creek. The coal measures of the county may be illustrated by the following section, show- ing the general arrangement and comparative thickness of the strata :
Strata. Feet.
Brown saudy shale 10 to 15
Compact gray limestone 3to 6
Bituminous shale 2 to 1
Coal sram No. 5. 4 to 6
Fire elay and septaria S to 10
Sandstone and shale 60 to 50
Bluish gray arenaceous limestone 2 to 6
Bituminous and argillaceous shales. 4 to 8
Coal seam No. 3. 2 to 3
Sandy and argillaceous shale 12 to 15
Gray limestone
4 to 6
Sandy and argillaceons shale. .15 to 30
Coal seam No. 2. 15 to 2
Sandstone and shale 30 to 40
Coal seam No. 1
Fire clay 1 to 3
Sandy shale and conglomerate sandstone. 15 to 25
"The beds comprising the upper part of the foregoing section are found well exposed in the vicinity of Rushville, and also on a small branch which heads near Pleasantview, and runs east- wardly into Sugar Creek. They enclose coal seam No. 3, one of the most persistent and valu- able in the Illinois coal fields. This seam ranges
ELIZABETH ANGRY
-- -- - தான்சுத்தி கரிப்பு
---
BASKE
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HISTORY OF SCHUYLER COUNTY.
in thickness from four to six feet. The roof is generally a bituminous shale, which often con- tains large nodules of dark blue or black line- stone filled with marine shells, among which are Productus Muricatus, Clinopistha Locris, Pleu- rophorus Soleniformis, Cardiomorpha Missouri- ensis, Discina Nitida, Schisodus Curtus, etc. Above the black shale there is usually a bed of bluish-gray limestone, containing joints of erin- oidea and a few small brachiopods, among which the Spirifer lincatus and a small variety of Athyris subtifita are the most common.
"The lower division of the coal measures, em- bracing the horizon of three lower coal seams, underlies nearly all the highlands in the central and eastern portions of the county, and are found outeropping on all the principal streams and their tributaries. In the western part of the county, on Crooked Creek and the region lying west of that stream, the beds rise so that the lower carboniferous limestone and the conglom- erate sandstones form the principal onterops in the bluffs of the creeks, while only a few feet in thickness of the lower coal measures, some- times including coal seam No. 2. are found un- derlying the adjacent highlands.
"The height of the coal seam No. 5, at Pleas- antview, is 202 feet above the river bank oppo- site Beardstown, and 190 above high water level of 1814; and, on account of its great elevation. it is only found underlying the highest lands form- ing the water shed between Sugar Creek and Crooked Creek, and consequently extends over a limited area in Rushville and Buena Vista Townships."
"St. Louis Group .- The outerop of the lower carboniferous limestones in Schuyler County is restricted to the valleys of the principal streams, and to the Illinois River bluffs between the mouth of Sugar Creek and the south line of the county. The St. Louis group, which comprises the upper division of the series, consists of a gray concretionary limestone of variable thick- ness, ranging from five to twenty feet, forming the upper member of the group, below which we find a brown magnesian limestone, sometimes quite massive. and in regular beds, and, at other localities intercalated with shales or pas- ing into a thin-bedded or shaly limestone. The concretionary limestone is not very regular in its development. but often oreurs in isolated patches or outliers, and is a rough, gray lime- stone, presenting no regular lines of bedding,
but usually concretionary or brecciated in its structure. It outerops at intervals along the bluffs of Crooked Creek through its whole course in this county, and also along the bluffs of the Illinois River, as far north as Browning, where it disappears. In the vicinity of Birmingham this linusstone is found eighteen feet thick and overlaid by the conglomerate sandstone of the coal measures. It is underlaid by a bed of cal- carvous sandstone, and also a magnesian lime- stone about ten feet thick, which forms the base of the St. Louis group in this locality. The mag- nesian limestone is far more regular in its devel- opment than the concretionary limestone, and is usually of a rusty brown color on the surface from the oxidation of the iron which it contains. This limestone occurs at the base of the bluff at Frederick and along the river to Sugar Creek.
"Keokuk Group .- Only the upper portion of this group is exposed in this county, and its greatest development appears to be in the vicinity of Birmingham, The greatest thickness exposed here is about fifty feet, of which the lower fif- teen feet is a thin-bedded lime-stone containing many of the characteristic fossils of this group, above which there is about thirty-five feet of caleareo-argillaceous shales, containing geodes of quartz and chalcedony, The easterly dips of the strata are considerably more than the fall of the creek in that direction, and these beds dip below the bed of the creek before it strikes the north line of MeDonough County.
"(lays, -- Clays suitable for fire-brick and the manufacture of pottery are usually abundant in the lower portion of the coal measures, and the bed of clay-shale below coal No. 2 is also found here. The fireclay below coal No. 2 is usually of good quality and may be profitably worked in connection with the coal, when it is two feet or more in thickness.
"Building Stone .- Good building stone is tol- erably abundant in Schuyler County and is ac- cessible on nearly all the streams. The sand- stone below the main coal seams furnishes a free-stone of good quality, which has been used considerably. The strata vary in thickness from one to three feet and the rock is even textured and is easily cut and dressed. The brown mag- nesian limestone of the St. Louis group furnishes the best material for culverts, bridge abutments and similar purposes where the rock is required to withstand the combined influences of frost and moisture, The Keokuk limestone affords
630
HISTORY OF SCHUYLER COUNTY.
good building stone, but its outerops are limited to the bed of Crooked Creek in the northwest part of the county.
"Sand and Clay .- These deposits are abundant in all parts of the county and may be readily obtained at nearly every locality where the man- ufacture of common brick is desirable. The brown clay, forming the sub-soil over a large portion of the surface, answers a good purpose for brick making, and sand is abundant in the valleys of the streams, and in the eastern por- tion of the country in the Loess which caps the river bluff's.
"Zinc Ore .- On the farm of J. A. Donaldson, in Bainbridge Township, there is a vein of zine ore, and tests that have been made show its com- ponent parts are : sulphuret zinc, .64; iron, .07; sulphur, 29. This vein is about thirty feet under the ground surfare, and has never been devel- oped. Mr. William Hindman, in an examination of the vein, found that the zine was in the proper formation for a good vein and it may some day be developed. Mr. Ilindman also found on this farm kidney-shaped nodules of carbonate of iron ore that, when smelted, yield the best quality of iron for commercial use. These nodules will weigh from 500 to 1,000 pounds, and there seems to be no end of them."
Definite knowledge regarding the rock stata of the county at Rushville. is furnished by the following log of the deep well at the city pump- ing station :
Strata. Feet.
Top soil and clay. 7
Mixed shale and stone 142
Grey shale 15
Shale and sandstone 34
Shale
Limestone 116
Grey shale 211
Limestone
Shale . 190
Trenton limestone 56
White shale 11S
Trenton limestone 121
St. Peter's limestone .170
Red sandstone
St. Peter's limestone 30
Total depth 1.510
FLORA OF SCHUYLER COUNTY.
. With its wooded hills, alluvian bottoms and upland prairies, the tora of Schuyler County presents a most interesting study, and we trust that the classifications here given will aid in disseminating a more general knowledge of our trees and plants. For the preparation of this list of trees and shrubs we are indebted to William Ilindman, a former resident of Schuyler County, who now resides in La Salle. III. Mr. lindman has made a lifetime study of the won- ders of creation, as shown in botany and geology, and, in a letter to the writer, says: "We give this information for the benefit of those who will come after us and take our places. May the Good Giver of all be their guide. as he has been mine in studying his great work."
Trees and Shrubs.
Acer rubrum-Red or Swamp Maple.
Acer dasyearpum-White Maple. Acer saccharhon-Common Sugar Maple. Acer saccharium. rar nigrum-Black Sugar Maple.
Aesculus -- Common Buckeye.
Asimina triloba-Pawpaw. Betalt nigra-Red or Black Birch. Betula lenta-Cherry or Sweet Birch. Carpinus-Ironwood or Hornbeam.
Carga, oliracformis-Pecan Nut.
Carya, alba- Shellbark, or Shagbark Hickory. Carya, microcarpa-Small Nut Hickory.
Carya, tomentosa-Mockernut, White Heart Hickory.
Carya. procina-Piguut er Broom Hickory.
Carga, amara-Bitternut, or Swamp Hickory. Carga. suleata-Thick Shell-bark Hickory. Cellis occidentalis-Blue Hackberry.
Cereis Canadensis-Red-bud. or Judas-tree. Diaspyrox Virginiana-Cameron Persimmon. Pravimus Intricand-White Ash. Fraxinus pubescens-Red Ash.
Fraxinus viridis-Green Ash.
Fraxinus quadrangulara-Blue Ash. Frasimus nigra -- Black Ash.
Gleditschia. triacanthus - Three - thorned Honey-Locust.
Gymnoclaaus. Canadensis-Coffee Tree.
Hydrangea, arborceenx -- Wild Hydrange (a shrub).
Juglans, cincrea -- White Walimit. Butternut. Juglans nigra-Black Walnut.
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631
HISTORY OF SCHUYLER COUNTY.
Marus rubra-Red Mulberry.
Negundo acerredes-Box-elder.
Ostrya Virginica-Hop-hornbeam, Lever-wood.
Platanus occidentalis-Sycamore : Plane-tree. Populus heterophylla-Cottonwood.
Populus momlifera-Necklace Cottonwood.
Populus tremulides-American Aspen.
Populus grandidentata-Large-toothed Aspeu.
Prunus sproting-Wild Black Cherry.
Prunus Virginand-Choke Cherry.
Pyrus coronaria-Sweet-scented Crab Apple.
Pyrus angustifolia-Narrow-leaved Crab An- ple.
Quercus alba-White Oak.
Quercus alba pinnatifida-Feather Leaved White Oak.
Quercus obtusiloba-Post Oak.
Quercus macrocarpa-Overeup Bur Oak.
Quercus macrocarpa, var Lyrata-Lyre-leaved Bur Oak.
Quercus prinus-Swamp Chestnut Oak.
Quercus bicolor-Swamp White Oak.
Quercus castanea-Rock Chestnut Oak.
Quercus tinctora-Black Chestnut Oak.
Quercus coccinca-Scarlet Oak.
Quercus rubra-Red Oak.
Quercus palustris-Pin Oak.
Quereus nigra-Black-Jack Oak. Quercus imbricaria-Laurel, or Water Oak. Solis tristois-Dwarf Gray Willow, Sage Wil- low.
Nolis nigra-Black Willow. Solie longifolia-Long-leaved Willow. Solis cordata-Ileart-leaved Willow. Solir angustata-Narrow-leaved Willow. Solir criocephala-Silky-headed Willow. Sassufrar officinale-Sassafras. Tilia Americana-Basswood. Linden. Tilia heterophyliz-White Basswood. Ulmus folra-Red. or Slippery Elm. Ulmus Americana-American, or White El.
Shrubs or Small Trees (Bushes).
Alnos-Smooth Alder. Cephalanthus-Button Bush.
Cornus florida-Flowerinz, or Red Dogwood. Cornus sericca-Silky Cornell, or Dogwood. Cornus paniculata-Panicled Dogwood.
Cornus alternifolia-Alternate-leaved Dogwood. Corylus Americana-Alternate-leaved Hazel- nut.
Corylus rosteata-Beaked Hazelnut.
Crateagus, tomentosa-Black Thorn.
Crateagus Crus-galli-Cockspur Thorn.
Crateagus, coccinca-Red Thorn, Red Haw Thorn.
Eronymus, atropurpureus-Wahoo, Indian Ar- row.
Euonymus, Americanus-Strawberry-bush.
Prinus verticillata-Black Alder.
Prunus Americana-Red Plum.
Prunus insitita-Slow P'lum.
Petela trifoliata-Wofer Ash, Hop tree.
Rhus typbing-Staghurn Sumach.
Rhus, gtabra-Smooth Sumach.
Rhus aromantic-Fragrant Sumach.
Sambucus Canadensis-Common Elder.
Stophulca trifolia-Badder-nut.
Viburnum prunifolium-Black Haw.
Viburnum nudum-White Rod (a haw).
Zanthorylum Americanum-Prickly Ash.
Vines-Climbers, Etc.
Celastrus scandens, solanum Dulcamara-Bit- tersweet.
(This is the best antidote for the three-leaved Poison Ivy.)
Lonicera parvifolia -- Small honey-suckle.
Rhus radicans-(This is the three-leared Poi- son Iry that clings to trees, fences, etc. )
Impelopsis quinquefolio-Virginia Creeper. (The Virginia Creeper has fire leares, and in this way can be distinguished from the Poison Ivy.)
Grape Vines.
Vitis acsticolis-Wild Summer Grape. Iitis Vulpina-Wild Winter Grape.
Botanical Plants.
Thalietrum diricum-Meadow Rue.
Ranunculus reptans-Buttercups.
Ranunculus acris -- Buttercups. Calthe palustris-March Marigold. Aquilegia Canadensis-Columbine. Cimicreifaga racemosa-Black Snake-root. Actaca spicata-Red Baneberry. Cantophyllum-Blue Cohash.
Podophytum peltatum-Mandrake (May Ap- ple).
Vamplinen oderata-Water Lily. Nuphar udreun-Yellow Pond Lily. Sanguinaria Canadensis-Blood Root. Dicentra encularia-Duteleman's Breeches. Cardamine hirsata-Bitter Cress. Irabis Canadensis-Sickle Pod. Lepidium Virginicum-Tongue Grass.
632
HISTORY OF SCHUYLER COUNTY.
Viola encullata -- Violets. Viola sagetatu-Violets. Viola pendate-Violet .. Agrostemma. Gitl'age-Corn Cockle. Cerastium Vulgatum-Chickweed. Cerastrum notaus-Chickweed. C'erastrum oblongifolium-Chickweed. Stettarid media-Star Weed.
Arenaria lateriflora-Sandworth.
Mollngo verticittata-Carpet Weed.
Claylonia Virginiea-Spring Beauty.
Portulaca oleracea-Purslane.
Ambutilon Avicennaa-Indian Mallow. Hibiscus-Marsh Mallow.
Orulis icctasella-Wood Sorrel.
Oralis Violucca -- Wood Sorrel.
Impatens pallida-Touch-me-not. Polygala scnega-Seneca Snake-root. Polygala polygama-Seneca Snake-root. Polygala sanguinca-Seneca Snake-root. Boptisia leucopen-Wild Indigo.
Trifolium repens-White Clover.
Amorpha fruitcasa-Lead Plant.
Amorpha canescens-Lead shoestring.
Petolostemon candidum-Thimble Weed. Ludwigia palustris-Bastard Loostripe. Circa Luletrana-Enchanters Nightshade. Spiraa lobata-Queen of the Prairie. Eryngium yuccaefolium-Rattlesnake Master. Cicuta maculata-Water Hemlock. Erigena bulbasa-Pepper and Salt. Aralia nudricaulis-Wild Sarsaparilla. Aralia rgermosa-Dwarf Ginseng. Triusc!um perfoliatum-Feverwort. Valerianella Umbiticota-Lamb's Lettuce. Vernonia fasciculota-Iron Weed. Eupatorium perfoliatum-Boneset. Eupatorium agraloides-White Snake Root. Aster corymbosus-Aster. Aster cordifolius-Aster. Aster potens-Aster. Aster undulatus-Aster. Aster scrivens -- Aster.
Erigeron Canadense-Flea Bane.
Erigeron Bellidifolium-Robin's Plantain. Erigcron annum-White Weed, Solidago lennifolia-Goldenrod. Solidago latifolia-Goldenrod. Solidago Canadensis-Goldenrod. Silphium laciniatum-Prairie Burdock. Silphinm perfoliatum-Cup-plant. Ambrosia artemisincfolia-Ilogweed. Ambrosia trifida-Horseweed.
Helianthus rigidus-Sunflower. Helianthus lomentoros-Sunflower. Helianthus tuberosus-Sunflower. Helianthus occidentalis-Sunflower. Maruta cotula-May Weed, or dog fennel. Ercchtites hieracifolius-Fire-weed.
Lappa major-Burdock.
Krigia Virginica-Dwarf Dandelion.
Tararacum-Dandelion. Lactuca clongata-Trumpet Milkweed. Lobelia cardinalix-Cardinal Flower. Lobelia inflata-Lobelia, Indian Tobacco.
Lobelia sylphilitica-Blue Cardinal Flower. Dadecathcon Media-American Cowslip. Plantago lancolota-Plantain. Verbascum thopsus-Mullen. Scrophularia nodosa - Figworth Carpenter's
Square.
Daxystoma flara -- Yellow Foxglove. Isanthus cocrulcus-False Pennyroyal. Mentha Canadensis -- Horsemint.
Lycopus Europaus-Water Hoarhound. Hedcoma polegroides-American Pennyroyal.
Brunella vulgaris -- Blue Curls. Scutellaria versicolor-Skull Cap. Scutellaria canescens-Skull Cap. Seutellaria porrala-Skull Cap. Marrulium vulgare-HIoarhound. Phlox acuminata-Phlox, Sweet William. Phlox pilosa-Red and Purple Sweet William. Phlox bofida-Blue Sweet William. Apocynum, androsaemifolium-Dog-bane. Asclepias cornuti-Milk-weed. Asclepias phytolaccoides-Poke Silk-weed. Asclepias tuberosa-Butterfly Weed. Asarum Canadense-Wild Ginger. Rumer crispus-Yellow Dock. Rumes verticulatus-Water Dock. Polygonum aricalarr-Birds Knot Grass. Polygonum convolvulus-Birds Knot Grass, Polygonum Hydropiper-Water Pepper. Chenopodium hybridum-Pigweed (pursly). Euphorbia corollata-Flowering Sparge. Arisacma triphyllum-Jack-in-the-pulpit. Symplocarpus foetidus-Skunk Cabbage. Potamogeton natans-Water Plantain. Cypripodium pubescens-Lady's Slipper. Cypripedium parriforum-Yellow Slipper. Cypripedium spretabite-Moccasin Flower. Cypripedium Caudium-White Lady's Slipper. Hyporis crecta-Star-grass. Iris versicolor-Blue Flag. Trillium recurratum-Wake-robin.
633
HISTORY OF SCHUYLER COUNTY.
Polygonatum multiflorum -True Solomon's Seal.
Nmilacina ranecmosa-Cluster Solomon's Seal.
Majanthemum bifolium-Two-leaved Solomon's Seal.
Pontederia Cardata-Pickerel Weed.
List of Small Shrubs and. Vines Not Given Under Forest or Botanical List-Most of These Have Flowers.
Phuscolus perennis-Wild Bean Vine. Rosa sctigera-Wild Rose.
Rosa blanda-Wild Rose.
Rosa lucida-Shining Rose. Rubus villasus-High Blackberry.
Rubus Canadensis-Dewberry.
Rubus Occidentalis-Black Raspberry. Fragaria Virginirana-Wild Strawberry. Ribes rotundifolium-Wild Gooseberry. Ribes floridum -- Wild Black Currant. Sicyos angulatus-Single-seed Cucumber. Conrolvulus arrensis-Bindweed. Pharbits purpurea-Morning Glory. Pharbits Nil-Morning Glory. Impomaca panduratus-Wild Potato. Physalis rislosa-Ground Cherry.
Hyuscyamus niger-Henbane. Datura stramonium-Jimson Weed.
Xanthium strumarium-Coekle Burr, Clot Weed.
Rhus radicans-Three-leaved Poison Ivy. Aralia medicalus-Wild Sarsaparilla. Lonicera para-Wild Honeysuckle. Phytolacca deeudra-Pokeberry. Utrica droica-Stinging Nettle.
Utrica procera-Stinging Nettle. Humulus lupulus-Common Wild Hop.
Typha latifolia-Cat-tails (flags).
Lilium Canadensis-Yellow Lily.
Lilium Philadelphicum-Tiger Lily (intro- duced).
Scilla esculenta-Humash. Arismematriphyllum-Indian Turnip. Smilar rotundifolia-Greenbrier. Smiler quadrangulariv-Greenbrier.
CHAPTER VI.
WILD ANIMALS, BIRDS AND REPTILES.
INDIAN TRADITION OF THE DESTRUCTION OF MANY SPECIES OF ANIMALS THAT ONCE ROAMED THE PRAIRIES OF SCHUYLER-EARLY SETTLERS FOUND DEER, WOLVES AND FUR-BEARING ANIMALS I'LEN- TIFUL - CONSTANT WARFARE EXTERMINATED MANY SPECIES-REPTILES WERE A SCOURGE THAT THE PIONEERS HAD TO CONTEND WITH-SNAKE DENS RAIDED AND THOUSANDS OF REPTILES KILLED -BIRD LIFE IN SCHUYLER COUNTY-SONG AND GAME BIRDS.
That there once existed in the valley of the Illinois many species of animals that had dis- appeared before the coming of the white set- tlers, is evident from the remains that have since been imearthed. Not that all the bones of ani- mals that have been found here were native to the country, for it is more than probable that some of them were carried down from the far north during the glacial period, and deposited in the villages, where they have since been found. But there were many other animals naturally indigenous to the country, that were no more to be seen when the white men came. The In- dians, in accounting for their disappearance, told of an unusually severe winter long years before, when the snow covered the country to a great depth, and the wild beasts. being unable to ob- tain their natural sustenance, perished before the snow melted in the spring. There are many reasons for believing this tradition of the In- dians, for unquestionably this country was once the habitat of the bison and the elk. Pere Mar- quette and others of the early explorers, men- tioned them in their reports of the country. and the early settlers found indubitable proofs of their former presence in the decaying skulls, horns and bones of these animals which re- mained, and also in the numerous paths and "wallows," which were said to have been made by the buffalo. Each of these evidences indieated that the living animals bad vanished many years before. Pere Marquette, in his journal deserib- ing the Illinois country, says: "Nowhere else did we see such ground, meadows and woods, with
634
HISTORY OF SCHUYLER COUNTY.
stags, buffalos, deers, wildcats, bustards, swans, ducks, parroquets, and even beavers." The entire absence of these animals when the settlers came. in a land peculiarly adapted to their production. and furnishing in bounteous profusion the food necessary for their support. indicates their exter- mination in some sudden and unusual manner.
The fauna of Schuyler County, as noted by the early settlers, did not embrace those animals which delight in the seclusion of the dense forest, and if there were occasional reports of a bear or panther. it was simply the case of a tran- sient visitor to these parts. Deer, however, were abundant, and they were in such large number as to prove a nuisance to the settler. and ju the winter would eat the limbs of the young fruit trees, to the great disgust of the pioneer settler who was waiting patiently for his first apple. In these early days the pioneer depended almost entirely upon deer for his fresh meat, and the skins were tanned and used for many purposes. clothing even included. The constant slaughter and the rapid settlement of the country meant the ultimate extermination of the deer. and the last one to be killed in the county was shot on Brushy Creek in 1865. The large gray wolves were not numerous, even in the early day ; but the prairie wolves were num- bered by the thousands. They were cowardly and fled before the approach of the hunter. but after night minde stealthy raids on the young lambs and pigs, and it took years of constant warfare. aided bya county bounty, to reduce their number, and they are now almost wholly exterminated.
The badger, Canadian lynx and bay lynx were more or less numerous, but are known no more in their oll haunts. Not so, however, with the opussom, the only American marsupial; the raccoon. the ground hoz. the skunk, the red and gray fox, squirrels and rabbits, which today, furnish sport for the hunter, as they did in the pioneer times.
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