History of Washtenaw County, Michigan : together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships...and biographies of representative citizens : history of Michigan, Part 16

Author: Chas. C. Chapman & Co
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago : Chas. C. Chapman & Co.
Number of Pages: 1457

USA > Michigan > Washtenaw County > History of Washtenaw County, Michigan : together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships...and biographies of representative citizens : history of Michigan > Part 16

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But none of these formations outcrop in Washtenaw. As, how- ever, the Corniferous lies on the southeast, and the Coal Measures on the northwest of Washtenaw, we know the Hamilton, Huron, Marshall, Salt Group and Carboniferous Limestone must have their places of outcrop, beneath the Drift, in due order, between the south- eastern and northwestern angles of the county. As the Corniferous- Hamilton, consisting of hard limestones, must probably be traceable by visible outcrops as far northward as the formation actually extends, we may fairly conclude that Washtenaw is nowhere imme- diately underlaid by these limestones. The Huron shales, there- fore, cover the southeastern angle of the county. From northern Lenawee and southern Jackson, the Marshall sandstone must there- fore trend through the southeastern middle of the county. Also,

164

HISTORY OF WASHTENAW COUNTY.

from Spring Arbor and Leoni in Jackson county, the Carboniferous Limestone must trend, underneath the Drift, through the north- western middle of the county. The Salt Group must lie between the two last mentioned formations; that is, it must pass diagonally nearly through the center of the county. Such inferences illustrate the anomalous fact that the geology of a region must sometimes be studied through observations far removed from the region.

Fragments found in the Drift .-- The indications from this source are very uncertain, in consequence of the transportation to which all Drift materials have been subject. In Southern Michi- gan, as I have shown, some movements from the South, in the period of Modified Drift, were the reverse of normal Drift move- ments. Nevertheless, rock-masses as destructible as gypsum could not have been far transported from any direction; and when we find them strewn through the center of the county, and occurring also in the southwest corner of Oakland, as they do, we may pre- sume that the gypsum-bearing formation (the Michigan Salt Group) sweeps across the county diagonally and centrally. This conclusion is strengthened by the existence of salt springs along the border of the same belt of country, of which the most notorious are those before mentioned, in the town of Saline. This being admit- ted, the Carboniferous Limestone must be located in a belt a little further northwest; and the occasional occurrence of the peculiar fos- sils of this formation lends confirmation to the inference. Yet it must be admitted the sparseness of these fossils, in view of the close proximity of the formation, is an indication of limited breadth of outcrop.

Artesian Borings .- The deepest exploration of this kind which has been made in the county was undertaken on Main street, Ann Arbor, opposite the court-house, about ten yearsago.' The follow- ing is a statement of results compiled from observations made by the writer, combined with notes furnished by G. Q. Watkins, the superintendent of the work.

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HISTORY OF WASHTENAW COUNTY.

ARTESIAN BORING, ANN ARBOR, 1871.

At depth of

Thick- ness .

Thick- ness of Group.

DESCRIPTIONS.

30 101

Clay, bluish and adhesive, with alternating seams of quicksand. Bottom of shaft and beginning of boring.

131

1/2

Quicksand, rendering tubing necessary.

13112 160

2812 4

164

Partially cemented sand. Drove two more lengths of pipe.

164

Shale, light bluish, varying to dark-gray, not effervescing with acid, fine, laminated, with minute disseminated scales of white mica. Some portions-apparently thin seams-buf- fish, rather hard, very slightly effervescing with acid. Drove 4 ft. more of pipe to this shale. Water from shaft was shut off. A little water continued to appear in the pipe.

215

1/2

Crevice. Fresh water rose immediately to within 25 or 30 feet of the surface.

Shale, as above the crevice.

A cavity from which issued inflammable gas, and a little black oil.

326 330

166

Black shale, not effervescing with acids.

Sandstone, dun, earthy, porous, actively effervescing with acid. Contains brine. At a depth of 3 ft. in it, a sample of brine stands 50° salometer.

366 392

26 35

GROUP

Fine buffish, calciferous or magnesian sandrock,-about one- fourth dissolving in sulphuric acid.

123

Brine here 64º salometer.

427

Shale, argillaceous, bluish. The sand pump brings, with chips of shale, much sand.

430

Shale continuing.

Water lowers to 40 ft. from surface. Brine here 68º salometer.

433

440

HURON GROUP

Silicious shale, excessively fine, compact, bluish-gray, accom- panied by gas which caused an overflow of water at the top of the well. Water afterward subsided, but some gas con- tinued to escape.

453

Same continuing. When lighted paper is thrown down, nu- merous detonations occur in the well.

469

251

293

Silico-argillaceous shale, not effervescing. Some beds of black, bituminous shale.

720

Limestone (with ferruginous specks) apparently somewhat cherty.

745

Chips of earthy magnesian limestone with some sand.

755

HAMILTON-

CORNIFEROUS

Chips quite sandy, with magnesian limestone, iron and clay. Work discontinued.

Soil, gravel, etc.

DRIFT

Compactly bedded shale-like materials. Tubed to here.

21512 320

10412 6

MICHIGAN SALT GROUP

MARSHALL

Same rock continuing, but more distinctly arenaceous.

Shale continuing. Sand pump brings up no sediment.

These results may be interpreted with considerable certainty, as shown in the third column of the table. It appears that the Drift attains a remarkable thickness, and that some of the lower portion (at 131} feet) is so indurated as to be easily mistaken for the " bed- rock." As the University campus is about 86 feet higher than Main street, the depth of the Drift under the University would be 250 feet, and under the Observatory, 292 feet. It is not admissible to assume any considerable excavation in the surface of the Michi- gan Salt Group, and thus a local thickening of the Drift, since we find the whole normal thickness of the Salt Group present. The

166

HISTORY OF WASHTENAW COUNTY.

Michigan Salt Group presents, also, about its usual characters. This formation is the home of the gypsum found occasionally in the overlying Drift. Actual exploration, therefore, confirms the conclusion indicated on other grounds, that the salt formation passes under the center of the county. This is also the origin of brine, but in places where the formation is compact, no brine can accumulate. None was observed in this boring. The next forma- tion below, the Marshall sandstone, is everywhere the brine-reser- voir from which supplies are obtained. We have here the full normal thickness of the Marshall sandstone. Below this, at 427 feet, the drill entered abruptly the series of shales constituting the Huron Group, which I have heretofore parallelized with the Chemung and Portage Groups of Ontario and New York, inclu- sive of the notorious Black Shale. The thickness here developed is extraordinarily low, since at 469 feet the drill entered a series of limestones, presenting the characters of the Hamilton-Cornifer- ous, as the formation presents itself at the surface, in Monroe county.

The brine obtained from the well was similar in constitution to that of the generality of wells in the Saginaw valley. It cannot be supposed that 68° indicates the strongest brine obtainable from the well. This degree of strength, however, implies about 17.48 per cent. of solid matter, and 34 gallons of water to one bushel of solid matter. An analysis of the solid residue was made by Mr. J. R. Jones, with the following result:

Per cent.

Iron (in the residue after evaporation).

2.506

Magnesium chloride.

3.976

Calcium chloride.

14.022

Sodium chloride (common salt)

79.496

Total

100.000

The following is a comparison with brine of East Saginaw:

E. Saginaw. 22.157

Ann Arbor. 17.48

Percentage solid matter in brine

76.143

79.496

Percentage of "salt " in solid matter

23.857

20.504

Percentage of other constituents.

100.000

The strength indicated by the salometer was equal to that of some brines used in the manufacture of salt; but at Ann Arbor, the cost of fuel would limit the process to solar evaporation. It is highly probable, however, that stronger brine existed at the bot- tom of the well. No adequate means were employed to obtain this brine, or to test the volume of the supply. In fact, little interest was felt in the result, when it became demonstrated that

Eber Mike -

Queil Aug. 19-1972: Age 73 year" 101:10. . -

169

HISTORY OF WASHTENAW COUNTY.

only salt water could be obtained .* The experiment showed that Ann Arbor is a far better locality than Grand Rapids for the man- ufacture of salt. Lucius Lyon manufactured salt many years ago at Grand Rapids, from brine, which marked about 22° by the salom- eter. James Scribner, in 1859, used brine which stood at 20°. The brine generally at Grand Rapids, ranges from 20° to 30°, but the manufacture has long since stopped. The Onondaga brines range from 63º to 68°. Not unfrequently the strength runs down (at Liv- erpool) to 60,° 55° and even 53º, while at Syracuse it sometimes runs up to 70°. The Kanawha brines have a strength of 40° to 50°. The Saginaw brines range from 80° to 90°; but the impuri- ties constitute several degrees of the nominal strength.

I have, also, the following record of a shallow boring made on W. ¿ N.E. ¿ section 34, York:

At depth

Interven- ing thick-

ness.

Thick-

ness of

Forma-

tion.

DESCRIPTIONS.

100

110

Clay, boulders and some sand. Clay firm, sometimes dark.

110

Shale, very dark.

112

HURON

GROUP

Same continuing.

Here the terrestrial surface is about 78 feet lower than Main street, Ann Arbor, while the Drift is found only 54 feet shallower. This shows that the " bed-rock " is 24 feet higher at this locality than in Ann Arbor. The dark shale struck at 110 feet may probably be regarded as the Huron shale, and hence it would follow that this locality is beyond the outer border of the Marshall sandstone. The outcrop of the Huron Group, therefore, cuts across the southeast corner of Washtenaw county.

By these various means we approximate a correct geological map of the county.

IV. GEOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE COUNTY.

We may conclude this account with a brief sketch of the succes- sion of geological events which have taken place within the limits known in our times as Washtenaw county. We need not go farther back than the ages when the materials of which our under- lying rocks are formed were accumulating as sediments in the bottom of an ocean which had no shore upon the south, and was

* This was predicted by the writer when consulted on the subject. A supply of fresh water for the city was a great desideratum, and a private company resolved at all hazards to sink the well for the purpose of demonstrating the character of the underlying formations. It was also foretold, on geological grounds, that no water could rise to the surface, since the hydrostatic pressure would be wanting.

SDRIFT

Soil, subsoil and sand.

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HISTORY OF WASHTENAW COUNTY.

bounded on the north by the highlands north of Georgian Bay and Lake Huron. This situation continued to the close of the Cornif- erous period, when an uplift of sea-bottom revealed land along the southern boundary of the State, which connected by a broad isth- mus with a land area expanded in Southern Ohio at an epoch perhaps somewhat earlier. Washtenaw county was still sea-bottom, and only began to emerge as, in succeeding periods, the land area just named rose higher, and extended its borders northward. At the beginning of the formation of the great coal deposits, Washte- naw county was dry land. So was the entire border region of the Lower Peninsula; but all the central portion remained as a marsh over which was enacted that history which ended in the formation of the coal-beds and associated rocks. Washtenaw county was drained northward; and it may be a reminiscence of that state of things which we see in the higher altitude of the bed rock in York than in Ann Arbor. After the end of the coal-making time, the whole Peninsula was upland. Lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario did not exist; but a stream flowed along the tracts which have become the site of these lakes. A great geological æon passed while such a condition of the surface existed. We know that it was a vast succession of ages marked by mild climates, luxuriant vegetation, and active animal populations progressively advancing in the scale of being. Not the faintest trace of all this history has been preserved in Washtenaw county, nor in any other part of the State. It was the Mesozoic æon. Still another geo- logic age rolled by. It was the Tertiary. We know from records elsewhere preserved, that it was marked by the enormous develop- ment of mammalian quadrupeds, and the shrinkage of the hordes of reptiles which had crawled here in the Mesozoic æon. There were forests like our own, and I imagine the whole aspect of Washtenaw county must have been much like that presented to the first civilized explorers here. After the lapse of many thousands of years, a change began to be experienced in the climate. An age of snow and ice was coming on. In the course of time, one wide glacier sheet buried the whole of Washtenaw county and the entire Northwest. Where the verdant forest had stood, and the huge mastodon had browsed from its foliage, now a scene of desolation prevailed like that which covers the surface of Green- land in our own day. Other ages passed by, and a geological spring-time appeared. The ice-sheet, which had been probably a mile in thickness, rapidly dissolved. The rocky and earthy frag- ments held in its embrace were let down. to become the bed of " boulder drift " which I have described. The rushing and eddy- ing streams which sprang from the dissolving ice exerted that action which resulted, at least in part, in that overlying bed of confusedly stratified material which I have described as " Modified Drift. A little later than this we have to picture the country as flooded to an enormous extent. The barrier to the outlet of the great lake-waters had not yet been worn down at the present mouth

171

HISTORY OF WASHTENAW COUNTY.

of the Niagara river, and the water set back as one continuous lake, from the bluffs at Lewiston to Monroe-to Detroit-to Chicago. A broad channel continued from the present site of Saginaw Bay up the Shiawassee valley, into the valley of the Grand river, and thence to Lake Michigan. All the portion of our Peninsula north of that remained an island. The great " lake ridge " which runs through Washtenaw county shows that the water stood here 156 feet above the present level of Lake Michigan, or 175 feet above the present Lake Erie. Inland from this bar- riers existed, on the south, which partly dammed, for the time, the waters resulting from the melting of the glacier. It would seem that the southern border of our State was still somewhat higher than portions further north. The cold water accumulated in large inland lakes over Washtenaw, Lenawee, Hillsdale and Jackson counties. Severe winters congealed the surface to the depth of two or three feet or more. Around the borders of these lakes, and at other places where the water was shallow, the ice became firmly consolidated with the underlying bed-materials. Along the south- ern border, the Hamilton-Corniferous limestones occupying the surface were thus attached to great ice-sheets. The return of spring renewed the melting of the glacier. The inland lakes received new accessions of water. Their icy coverings were uplifted, and huge tables of stratified limestone, to which they were attached, were wrenched from their fastenings and floated. Spring- time brought south winds, and great ice-rafts with their freight of rocks were sometimes floated many miles northward. Here their loads of Corniferous limestone, as the ice dissolved, were deposited; and in such situations we find them to this day -- a puzzling phe- nomenon which I have thus ventured to explain.

But time wore on, and the escaping waters everywhere wore deeper their channels. As the gorge of Niagara progressed, the level of the Great Lakes was lowered. The outlets of the great interior lakes becoming deepened, the lakes were gradually drained. The valleys of the Huron, Raisin and Saline rivers denote the positions of the principal drainage-ways. The mammoth and mastodon and great beaver were here; and man, probably of a Mon- goloid type, pursued these beasts with weapons of flint. Innumer- able lakes of smaller dimensions still remained, the consequences of the feeble slope presented by the general surface. While the peats were accumulating about their borders, many a clumsy probos- cidean became mired, and left his bones to testify to us of his former presence. Or, perhaps, perishing in some ravine, a sum- mer flood floated his carcass into a lake, since filled with peat. The modern aspect of our country was rapidly dawning. Time advanced, and the filling of many of our lakelets became complete. The civilized man at length arrived. He displaced the wild beasts and the wild men. He labored for half a century to establish him - self in peace and comfort. Meantime, he pondered over the relics of the past which were everywhere around him. His thoughts

172

HISTORY OF WASHTENAW COUNTY.

were carried over a long history. Through the vista of vanished ages, events revealed themselves to his vision in ever-increasing vividness. The stream of years became illuminated. One who had glimpsed this majestic flow of events seized his pen and left recorded the vision as it was revealed to him.

CHAPTER V. NATURAL HISTORY.

BY ADOLPHE B. COVERT.

BIRDS.

This catalogue of 257 birds includes with a few exceptions those species only which are well established and known to appear every season. All species mentioned here have been taken in the county except one (Dendroica dominica). Some species have been mentioned which may never appear again, as for instance the Summer Red-bird (Pyranga æstiva), still it may yet become a common summer resident. The Connecticut warbler ( Oporornis agilis) apparently entered the State but a few years ago, and a few years hence will be a common migrant here. It will be seen from the following list that our birds may be divided into three classes- those feeding entirely on animal matter, those whose food consists entirely of vegetable substances, and those which eat both. The latter class is the greatest, and the class feeding on animal matter is larger than the vegetarians. Although this list gives upward of 100 species not heretofore accredited to this county, it must not be regarded as complete, as I am confident that many more will yet be added to it. .

There is a peculiar interest attached to the avifauna of this State which has not received the attention from ornithologists which it deserves. We have no systematic work, and but few lists of the birds of this State; but with such men as Dr. H. A. Atkins, of Locke, Ingham county; Dr. Morris Gibbs, of Kalamazoo; Hon. D. Darwin Hughes, Mr. W. H. Hughes and Charles W. Gunn, of Grand Rapids; W. H. Collens and Mr. Charles Mummery, of Detroit; Jerome Trombly, of Petersburg; and Mr. A. H. Boies, of Hudson, these difficulties which now beset our path will soon be swept away.

Family TURDIDE.

Turdus migratorins .- Robin. Spring, summer and fall resi- dent; sometimes remains all winter, very abundant.

Turdus mustelinus .- Wood Thrush. Summer resident; com- mon.

Turdus pallasi .- Hermit Thrush. Abundant spring and fall visitor; has been found breeding.

Turdus swainsoni .- Olive-backed Thrush. Very common in spring and autumn.

(173)

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HISTORY OF WASHTENAW COUNTY.

Turdus fuscescens .- Wilson's Thrush. A common spring visitor; sometimes nests with us.

Mimus carolinensis .- Catbird. Summer resident; very abun- dant.

Harporhynchus rufus .- Brown Thrush. Thrasher. A common summer resident.

The Robin and Catbird frequent the orchards and gardens, nest- ing about the door- yards, and prefer these places to the woods. The Brown Thrush is found in thickets of hazel brush, briars, etc., which skirt old fences and the edge of woods, and generally nest in brush heaps. The remainder of the family are confined to the wood- land. Their food consists of beetles, grasshoppers, snails, spiders, caterpillars, etc., together with small fruits and berries.

Family SAXICOLIDE.

Sialia sialis .- Bluebird. A very abundant spring, summer and fall resident. It is found everywhere, nesting in bird-houses, fence posts, decayed trees, and feeds on winged insects, worms, grass- hoppers, spiders and a scant proportion of berries.

Family SYLVIADE.

Regulus calendula .- Ruby-crowned Kinglet; is a spring and fall visitor, and is frequently found in winter.

Regulus satrapa .- Golden-crowned Kinglet; is abundant in spring and fall.

Polioptila cerulea .- Blue-gray Gnatcatcher; is a summer res- ident. Very common.

These sub-families are, strictly speaking, woodland birds, seldom found elsewhere. The Kinglets nest to the north of us, while the Gnatcatcher frequents our woods, building its nest on the high branches of the different oaks, "a structure which cannot fail to excite our wonder and admiration. Excepting the Humming- bird's nest none can compare with this exquisite specimen of bird architecture, cunningly contrived to combine elegance with comfort, artfully rendered substantial without sacrifice of good taste, and ingeniously screened from observation by the same means that are employed for its ornamentation. True to its aspirations, the bird nestles high in trees, usually at least 20 yards from the ground, placing the fabric among slender twigs, to which it is woven, often at the extremity of a bough which sways with the wind. To insure the safety of its contents during the motion to which it is thus subjected, it is built remarkably deep, and contracted at the orifice, so that the cavity is somewhat purse-shaped, and the general shape outside is like that of a truncated cone. It seems large for the size of the bird; it is sometimes three and a half inches in height, and nearly as many in width at the base, with a diameter of two inches at the brim. The walls are closely and warmly matted or felted

175

HISTORY OF WASHTENAW COUNTY.

with the softest vegetable material, the decomposed fiber of various plants, thistle-down and the like substances, in some cases woven with spider's web. The structure is artistically finished with stucco-work of lichens all over the outside, which serves the double purpose of perfecting its beauty and making it resemble a natural excrescence. In such an elegant cradle eggs are laid, to the number of four, five, or even six, measuring scarcely three-fifths of an inch in length and less than half an inch in their greatest diameter; white in color, speckled and dashed, generally over the whole sur- face, with several shades of reddish or umber brown and lilac. In such a secure home as this the Blue-gray Flycatcher usually rears its brood unmolested; it has little to fear except from the Cowbird and from the ornithologist, against which enemies no art avails. The parasitic bird might have its own excuse to offer, could its motive be called in question; the other may apologize, after a fashion, by averring that even this slight sketch of the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher's life could not be finished had the nest never been rifled."-(Coues.) The food of these delicate and beautiful little fairies of our woods consists mainly of small caterpillars, mosquitoes, eggs of insects, etc.

Family PARIDE.

Parus atricapillus .- Titmouse or Black-capped Chickadee. Feeds upon insects, seeds, crumbs, meat, berries, etc., and generally nests in the wood, where it makes its home for the greater part of the year, but during the winter it is seen about our doors feeding on the crumbs from the table.

Family SITTIDE.

Sitta carolensis .- White-bellied Nuthatch; is a very common resident.

Sitta canadensis .- Red-bellied Nuthatch. A quite rare spring and fall migrant; still some springs I find this bird very common.

These birds are found in woodlands and orchards; their nests are built in holes in trees. Their food consists of ants, spiders, eggs of insects, and seeds.

Family CERTHIADE.

Certhia familiaris .- Brown Creeper. A common spring, fall and winter resident; sometimes remains with us during the summer, and breeds. It is a woodland bird, seldom frequenting orchard or shade trees, and feeds on insects, small beetles, seeds, etc.

Family TROGLODYTIDA.

Thryothorus ludovicianus .-- Carolina Wren. A very rare straggler from the South.

176

HISTORY OF WASHTENAW COUNTY.

Thryothorus bewickii .- Bewick's Wren. But one specimen of this bird has been shot in this county to my knowledge (a male, June 3, 1878).

Troglodytes œdon .- House Wren; is a common summer resident, but very local. We find this bird very common in some portions of the county and very rare in others.

Anorthura troglodytes .- Winter Wren; is a common spring and fall visitor, often remaining with us during the open winters.

Telmatodytes palustris .- Long-billed Marsh Wren. A common summer resident of our marshes, building a large globular nest of coarse sand grass. This is generally suspended to reeds or the stems of the different flags.

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History of Washtenaw County, Michigan : together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships...and biographies of representative citizens : history of Michigan, Part 16

Author: Chas. C. Chapman & Co Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago : Chas. C. Chapman & Co. Number of Pages: 1457

Author: Chas. C. Chapman & Co
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago : Chas. C. Chapman & Co.
Number of Pages: 1457