USA > New York > Livingston County > History of Livingston County, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 17
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80
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
in a north-westerly direction, through a rich inter- vale, averaging about one and one-half miles in width, and resembling in character the Genesee flats, crossing the western portion of North Dans- ville, forming the boundary line between Sparta and West Sparta, and crossing diagonally the town of Groveland, unites with the Genesee near the north-east corner of the town of Mt. Morris. Its length exceeds thirty miles. Cashaqua, or Kisha- qua ereek rises in Grove, Allegany county, enters this county on the south line of Nunda, crosses the south-west part of that town into Portage, which, after making a short circuit in its eastern part, and furnishing a good water-power which is not as much utilized as formerly, it leaves a little north of the center of the east border ; passing thence into the town of Nunda, through the pleasant and once thriving village of that name, it pursues a north- easterly direction through the north-west part of that town, the south-east part of Mt. Morris, giv- ing power to the little village of Tuscarora, whose business has been ruined by the closing of the Genesee Valley canal, and thence through the west border of Groveland, which it enters in the south-west corner, to its recipient, into which it empties near the line between that town and Mt. Morris, about a mile from its mouth. A canal three miles long in the latter town connects with it the waters of the Genesee, and affords to the vil- lage of Mt. Morris a valuable water-power. Its length is about twenty miles.
Conesus* and Hemlock lakes are situated in the east part of the county, the latter forming a por- tion of the eastern boundary. Their outlets are good mill streams, and the outlet of Honeoye lake into which that of the latter discharges, forms the east boundary of the town of Lima, which is also the county line. They are the only considerable bodies of water in the county. Conesus lake is one of the most beautiful sheets of water in this region, and, indeed, in the State. Its banks slope gently to the water's edge, and are covered with a fine forest of oak, hickory, &c., except where the hand of industry has replaced them with cultivated fields and meadows. It is about nine miles long and one wide. Its depth does not exceed sixty feet, and for the greater part is much less. t Its
* The Indian name of this lake was Gancasost, signifying, "where the heavens rest upon the earth." Address of Dr. M. H. Mills at the Second Annual Meeting of the Livingston County Pioneer Association August 3, 1877. From The Dansville Advertiser, Aug. 23, 1877.
1 Natural History of New York, Part II"., Geology, James Hall, Thomas F. Gordon, ( Gazetteer of New York, ) J. Disturnel, (Gazetteer of the State of New York,) and Mather and Brockett, (Geographical History of New York, ) all state that C'onesus Lake "is said to exceed 300 feet in depth."
waters are pure and cold. Its outlet is more valu- able for hydraulic purposes from its great fall and steadiness than its volume. The streams flowing into the lake have deep channels. The lake is much frequented during the summer months by pleasure seekers; and Long Point is hallowed by its association with the meetings of the Livingston County Pioneer Association. Hemlock lake, though smaller than Conesus, is said to surpass it in beauty. and has been pronounced "the most attractive of all the beautiful chain of lakes which adorn Western and Central New York. Its banks rise somewhat abruptly from the water's edge to the height of two to three hundred feet, and are covered with stately pines and hemlocks. Halfway up the slope a ridge of splendid chestnuts stretches away as far as the eye can reach. It is six miles long and one wide. Its depth is remarkable for its size, and is remarka- bly uniform, especially the middle and upper por- tions, where for several miles it has an easy average of eighty feet, occasionally reaching ninety feet ; in no part is it a hundred feet deep. For miles at the upper end the depth is as great fifteen rods from the shore as it is in the middle. At the foot of the lake, as at the extreme head, the water is shal- low, and abounds with weeds, as do all the coves, and the shores where they are not too bold. In the deep parts of the lake the water is remarkably cold. It is well stocked with black and rock bass, and has become a popular summer resort in that region. Within a few years many cottages have been erected upon its shores, also places of public resort. The Jacques House, at the foot of the lake, was the pioneer of Livingston county pleasure resorts .*
The climate of this section is characterized by uniformity. The mean temperature does not differ materially from that of the whole State; but the average annual range of the thermometer is only 96°, while that of the State is 104 . Vegetation in the spring is somewhat in advance of the State generally, corresponding with that of Albany. The prevalent local wind of this region is from the southwest. In the autumn it is violent throughout the whole section, and frequently attended with rain. The extreme heat of summer is very uni- form throughout the State ; only five places out of fifty-five show a difference of over 3 from the average of the State, which is 92. The average time throughout the whole State, from the bloom- ing of the apple tree, to the first killing frost in
* Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, July, 1871 ; The Dansville Advertiser, Angust 9, 1877.
8I
CLIMATE-SOIL -PRINCIPAL INDUSTRIES.
autumn, is 174 days. On the west end of Long Island it is 123 days more ; and in St. Lawrence county, 22 days less. These are the extremes. It has been ascertained by numerous observations made in this State and New England, that an ele- vation of surface of 350 feet produces a diminution of heat equal to the addition of a degree of lati- tude. Hence we see the influence of our moun- tain systems upon the climate of the State. In the eastern counties, consumption and other pulmonary diseases are the prevailing maladies ; while in the western counties bilious affections are more preva- lent .* Cutting away the forests has doubtless exerted some climatic influence and tended to shorten or modify the distinguishing characteristics of the spring and autumn seasons. The malarial diseases which were so fatally prevalent during the clearing process incident to the early settlement of the county as to make the death rate greater than in any other locality in this countryt have vastly diminished, though not entirely subsided; and at present there are only sixteen counties in the State which show a greater comparative healthfulness as indicated by the percentage of deaths-the rate in this county being 1.03, while the average for the State is 1.15. The maximum rate-1.41-is in Madison county-the minimum, .85-in Clinton county.#
The soil of the county is mainly derived from the disintegration of the underlying rocks. It con- sists of a sandy loam with clay sub-soil upon the oaklands which abound in the north, and a deep, rich alluvian on the flats bordering the Genesee and Canaseraga. Beech and maple was the pre- vailing timber on the west side of the river, where the soil is a deeper sandy loam. Elm grew on the flats and was also common on the uplands. In the southern portion, which is better adapted to spring crops and grazing, being supplied with an abun- dance of pure soft spring-water, the timber consists of oak, maple, elin, basswood, butternut, walnut, ash, hemlock and white pine. About two-thirds of the county is admirably adapted to the culture of grain, and wheat of excellent quality is raised in great abundance, the produet in 1874 being one- fifteenth of that of the entire State, and the grain product, nearly one-thirty-second part. This great staple was raised in its greatest perfection in this
* Gazetteer of New York, Thomas F. Gordon: Geographical His- tory of New York, J. H. Mather and L. P. Brockett, M. I).
t Address of Dr. D. H. Bissell, of Geneseo, at the Second Annual Meeting of the Livingston County Pioneer Association. Dr. Bissell was one of the pioneer physicians and settlers in Livingston county, and is one of the few remaining representatives of that early period. $ Census of 1875.
section prior to the destructive ravages of the weevil in 1855, and the reputation of the Genesee wheat surpassed all others in the market. Subse- quent to that date its culture greatly diminished. In 1836, the surplus product of wheat in the coun- ty exceeded a million bushels annually,* while in 1874, the entire product was only 670,799 bush- els,f notwithstanding the increased area under cul- tivation by the acquisition of territory and other means.
Joseph Harris, who was editor of the Genesee Farmer in 1859, pronounced Western New York "the best natural wheat-producing region in the world," and said "that the soil lacked none of the ingredients which were necessary for the produc- tion of wheat, but what could be easily supplied by proper manuring and cultivation."
Grazing is receiving more attention than form- erly, especially in the southern part of the county ; and though the county does not take a high rank in the magnitude of its dairy products, these form an important industry and are increasing in value. Dairying is confined almost entirely to private fami- lies. Fruit of excellent quality grows readily. Bean culture is an important industry and has developed within the last six years on the east side of the river. It was previously carried on quite extensively in York and Caledonia, and, though to a less extent, in Leicester. In 1874, the county ranked fifth in the State in this product, which was nearly one-thir- teenth of the entire product. Monroe and Or- leans counties, however, produced alone nearly one-half; and Livingston about one-seventh of the remainder. Broom corn is raised quite extensive- ly on the flats, and is manufactured within the county. Sheep husbandry, in which, in 1855, Livingston county ranked second in the State, in- creased in magnitude during the succeeding decade, but in the next one it rapidly diminished to nearly one-third its magnitude in 1865, although in 1875, it still ranked second in the State, and its fleeces gave 4,244 pounds more wool than in 1855.# Formerly pork and cattle were staple products. Large quantities of pork were cured for market by farmers and merchants ; and four or five droves of cattle of from 300 to 500 head each were annually
* Gordon's Gazetteer of New York.
t Census of 1875.
# The following table shows the variations in this industry between the years 1855 and 1875 :--
No. of Fleeces.
l'otal Clip.
Average Weight of Fleece.
1855
106,839
377,689
3.53
1864
178,637
786,256
4.40
1865
183,991
776, 165
4.22
1874
80,986
449,343
5.55
1875
68,832
381,933
5.55
82
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
collected at Geneseo for the Philadelphia and New York markets. Stock raising is still an important industry, but is more exclusively confined than formerly to improving the domestic herds than to fattening for the market.
The industries of the county are almost exclu- sively agricultural, and the disparity between agri- cultural and mechanical pursuits is increasing. There were eighty-six more manufacturing estab- lishments in the county in 1870 than in 1875; and in the latter year there were only fifteen counties in the State having a less number of manufactur- ing establishments than Livingston county. The manufactures of the county are mostly confined to local needs.
The soil and climate, aside from intelligent cul- tivation, determine the character and magnitude of the agricultural productions of the county; and since there is little material variation in climate, and, though some difference in the quality, but little in the character of the soil, we observe a great similarity in the staple productions. Hence, an analysis of the census with a view to arriving at comparative results, will be both interesting and instructive.
In its great staple product-winter wheat-Liv- ingston county ranks sixth in the State in the quantity produced, (633,148 bushels,) but only thirty-fourth in the average yield per acre, which is 14.62, while the State average is 16.16. In the other cereals-corn, oats, rye, barley and buck- wheat-it ranks asfollows : eighth in corn, yielding 38.63 bushels to the acre, the State average being 32.33, the maximum, (Yates county,) 47.82, and the minimum, (Albany county,) 168.78 ; twelfth in oats, yielding 32.67 bushels to the acre, the State average being 28.59, the maximum, (Monroe coun- ty,) 36.97, and the minimum, (Rockland county,) 19.49 ; forty-third-next to the lowest -- in rye, yielding 11.37 bushels to the acre, the State aver- age being 11,82, the maximum, (Herkimer county,) 21.63, and the minimum, (Warren county,) 8.34 ; twenty-fourth in barley, yielding 22.73 bushels per acre, the State average being 22.83, the maximum, (Saratoga county,) 32.87, and the minimum, (Rich- mond county,) 10.00; and sixteenth in buckwheat, yielding 17.10 bushels to the acre, the State aver- age being 15.14, the maximum, (Steuben county,) 19.99, and the minimum, (Albany county,) 9.78. In the product of hay it ranks twenty-sixth, yielding 1, 14 tons to the acre, the State average being 1. 13, the maximum, (Herkimer county,) 1.35, and the minimum, (Warren county,). 75; in potatoes, twen-
ty-sixth, yielding 109.34 bushels to the acre, the State average being 102.22, the maximum, (Kings county,) 153.64, and the minimum, (Rockland county, ) 58.03.
A somewhat different result is obtained by com- paring the results on farms of one hundred acres, which is, perhaps, a fairer test. By this we find that Livingston ranks seventh in winter wheat, tenth in barley, fifteenth in corn, twentieth in oats, thirty-fourth in rye, fifty-third in hay and forty-fifth in potatoes. This at least exhibits more fairly its status in its great staple product-winter wheat.
The ratio of milch cows to the acreage of im- proved land, June 1, 1875, was 3.57, the State av- erage being 8.44. The maximum ratio, (in Herkimer county,) was 14.89, and the minimum, (in Kings county, ) 3.46. Livingston county ranked fifty-eighth -next to the lowest. It ranked twenty-seventh in the average yield per cow of dairy products in 1874, its average being 123, that of the State, 124, the maximum, (Orange county,) 172, and the min- imum, (Kings county,) 72 .*
In the production of hay, Springwater takes the lead, as compared with other towns in the county. Conesus, Geneseo, Groveland, Livonia, Mt. Morris and York, exceed the general average, which is 3,742 tons per town. Lima takes the lead in barley, producing nearly one-sixth of the entire product of the county. Avon, Groveland, Leicester, Livonia, Mt. Morris, Sparta and York exceed the general average, which is 15,932 bushels per town. Spring- water takes the lead in buckwheat, producing nearly one-half the quantity raised in the county. Nunda, Ossian, Sparta and West Sparta are the only towns which exceed the general average which is 3,424 bushels per town. Avon takes the lead in indian corn. Caledonia, Geneseo, Leicester, Lima, Livonia, Mt. Morris and York exceed the general average, which is 38,488 bushels per town. Springwater produces nearly twice as many oats as any other town in the county, except Mt. Mor- ris, which produces less than three-fourths as many. Avon, Geneseo, Nunda and York are the only other towns which exceed the general average- 44,946 bushels per town. Springwater also takes the lead in rye, producing more than one-fourth of all that is raised in the county, and, with the excep- tion of North Dansville and Sparta, more than double the quantity of any other town in the county. Ossian is the only other town which ex- ceeds the general average-935 bushels per town.
* In this estimate two and a half pounds of cheese, one pound of butter and three gallons of milk are considered equivalents.
83
COMPARATIVE STATISTICS.
Avon, Geneseo, Groveland, Lima and Livonia do not raise any. Nunda takes the lead in spring wheat, producing nearly one-fifth of all that is raised in the county. Mt. Morris, Ossian, Sparta, Springwater and West Sparta exceed the general average -- 2,215 bushels per town, Springwater trebling it, and Ossian and West Sparta nearly so. Caledonia, Geneseo and Groveland did not pro- duce any ; while Lima raised only 12 bushels, Avon 17 and York 99. The towns generally pro- duce liberally in winter wheat, Caledonia taking the lead with 77,406 bushels. The general aver- age is 37,244 bushels per town, and is exceeded by all the towns except Conesus, North Dansville, (which naturally produces the least quantity, only a little more than one-fourth of the average,) Nunda, Ossian, Portage, Sparta, Springwater and West Sparta. York takes the lead in beans, producing a little more than a fourth of the product of the county. North Dansville is the only town which did not produce any, and Ossian raised the least quantity, 46 bushels. The average per town- 4,692 bushels-is exceeded only by Avon, Caledo- nia, Geneseo, Leicester and York. West Sparta takes the lead in hops, producing nearly a third of what is raised in the county -163,561 pounds. Conesns, Leicester, Livonia and Nunda are the only other towns which exceeded the general aver- age-9,033 pounds per town ; while Caledonia, North Dansville, Ossian, Sparta, Springwater and York did not produce any. Potatoes were a plen- tiful crop in all the towns. Lima taking the lead with 51,926 bushels. Avon, Caledonia, Geneseo, Livonia, Springwater and York are the only other towns which exceed the general average-26,029 bushels per town. Avon was the only town which raised tobacco, producing 1,400 Ibs. Apples were produced bountifully in all the towns. The greatest quantity-47,212 bushels-was raised in York.
The number of horses on farms, two years old and over, June 1, 1875, was proportionate to the natural requirements of the towns, Mt. Morris having the largest number and North Dansville the smallest. All, except North Dansville, closely approximate the average number -- 689- and all, except Conesus, Leicester, North Dansville, Nun- da, Ossian, Portage, Sparta and West Sparta, exceed it. The towns generally show a slight in- crease in the number of milch cows kept in 1875, as compared with 1874, the number in the county increasing from 10,259 in 1874 to 10,531 in 1875. Springwater had the largest number -- 929-and North Dansville the least-148. Avon, Geneseo,
Groveland, Lima, Livonia, Mt. Morris, Nunda, Sparta and York exceed the average number-619 -while Caledonia, Conesus, Ossian and Portage closely approximate it. Milk was sent to factories from only 256 cows in 1874, and 383 in 1875. The number of pounds of butter made in families in 1874 was 1, 198,134 pounds, (to which all the towns contributed generously, ) and of cheese, 43, 162 pounds. Springwater produced the largest quan- tity of butter-128,224 pounds -- and North Dans- ville the smallest -- 18,965 pounds. Avon, Caledonia, Geneseo, Lima, Livonia, Mt. Morris and Nunda, exceed the average per town-70,478-but none of them very largely; while Conesus, Groveland, Ossian, Sparta, West Sparta and York closely ap- proximate it. Groveland produces the greatest quantity of cheese-21,000 pounds-nearly half of the product of the county. The only other town which approached it was Ossian, which made 8,400 pounds. The product of the other towns ranged from 450 to 2,820 pounds, though the majority of them made less than a thousand pounds. All the towns are large pork producers, the entire product of the county in 1874 being 2,529,205 pounds, of which Avon produced the greatest quantity -- 254,661 pounds, and North Dansville the least- 34,225. All the towns, except Conesus, Leicester, North Dansville, Nunda, Ossian, Portage, Sparta and West Sparta, exceed the average per town- 148,777 pounds.
CHAPTER VIII.
GEOLOGY-SUCCESSION OF UNDERLYING ROCKS IN THE COUNTY-WATER-LIME OF THE ONONDAGA SALT GROUP-ONONDAGA LIMESTONE-CORNIF- EROUS LIMESTONE - MARCELLUS SHALES - HAMILTON GROUP-GENESEE SLATE-PORTAGE GROUP -- CASHAQUA SHALE -- GARDEAU SHALE AND FLAGSTONES - PORTAGE SANDSTONES - DIAGONAL LAMINATION-RIPPLE MARKS-CASTS OF SHRINKAGE CRACKS-CONCRETIONS OR SEP- TARIA-CASTS OF FLOWING MUD, &C .- INDICA- TIONS OF COAL - SULPHURETTED HYDROGEN SPRINGS - AVON SPRINGS - BRINE SPRINGS -- ALLUVIAL DEPOSITS-MARL-CHARA-MASTO- DON REMAINS-SPECULATIONS AS TO THE TIME WHEN THE MASTODON EXISTED.
"THE lowest rock in the county is the water-lime of the Onondaga salt group. Above this, as we proceed south, appear in succession the Onondaga
* In preparing this chapter we have relied mainly on the Geology of New York, Part IV., by James Hall.
St
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
and corniferous limestones, the Marcellus shale, the Hamilton group, Genesee slate and l'ortage group, the latter occupying the high lands in the southern part of the county.
The thick-bedded hydraulic limestone passes through Caledonia and Avon. In the former town it is quarried in several localities, chietly for build- ings and enclosures. It underlies the village of Caledonia, extending thence south-easterly towards the Genesee, reappearing on the other side, and extending north-easterly to Mendon. In several instances where it has been burned for cement it has been found unfit for the purpose, either from improper composition or from the mode of burning.
For a distance of two or three miles south-east of Caledonia village these flat masses of the drab limestone are scattered over the surface, in many places in sufficient quantities for enclosures ; its out-cropping edges approach so near the surface as to be turned up by the plow. At the Wadsworth quarry, three and one-half miles south-east of Cal- edonia, it was quarried in large quantities for use on the Genesee Valley canal. It is easily quarried, splitting into masses of any dimension, and be- comes very hard and brittle on exposure. The upper seven feet of the mass is often in one course, though generally divided into two ; this portion and a course of two feet below, contain numerous ir- regular cavities, often filled with greenish clay, gyp- sumn, and sulphate of strontian, blende, &c. In some of these cavities there are remains of some coralline fossils, the greater part having been expel- led, probably by the action of sulphuric acid, which formed, with the lime, gypsum, and with strontian, its sulphates. The same causes which here produced the small nodules of gypsum were in operation over a large extent, to form the immense quantity which occupies a place in the rocks beneath the drab limestone. Owing to this circumstance only, we find no fossils in the gypseous rocks ; for none could exist in a sea where sulphuric acid was a free in- gredient.
The Onondaga limestone is but a thin mass in this county, scarcely appearing except in a few lo- calities. The principal of these is at Caledonia, where it is a thick compact mass, with a few thin layers separated by shale, and contains a great num- ber of Cyathophylli Farosites and other fossils. It extends also for several miles north-west from the village, maintaining the same character, and the surface is strewed with fragments which contain its typical fossils. It abounds in its usual coralline fossils, but there are no places where it is sufficient-
ly developed for quarrying. Its usual characteristic is a light-gray color, often approaching to white, more or less crystalline in structure. In many in- stances it is almost entirely composed of broken and comminuted fragments of crinoidea and corals, sometimes extremely attenuated, and at other times fragments of large size are presented. These frag- ments of crinoidal columns, with some of the other fossils are frequently of a pink or reddish color, and give a beautiful variegated appearance to the mass, particularly when polished. The Corniferous limestone scarcely extends into the town of Lima, but forms the substratum of the northern portion of Avon, and in the river valley extends as far south as the center of the town. It occupies a width of from two to four or five miles, dipping gradually to the south under the Marcellus shales. It is quarried in the outlet of Conesus lake, and on a small stream a short distance further east ; at these places only a few feet of the upper part of the mass are seen. It is easily quarried in blocks of large dimensions, and is nearly free from hornstone. It was wrought for use on the Genesee Valley canal. The fossils at this place consist chiefly of Stropho- mena negosa, Atrypa affinus, Delthyris, and some fragments of trilobites. The greater portion of this rock, on the east side of the river, is covered by a deep alluvium, which renders it difficult to trace its bearing and outcrop with extreme accuracy. On the west side of the river it first makes its appear- ance in the south-east corner of Caledonia, near the town line. Two miles south-east of Caledonia village a very extensive quarry has been opened on the west bank of a small stream, on the Christie place, from which large quantities of the gray por- tion of this limestone were taken for the construc- tion of locks, aqueducts, &c., for which purpose no better stone can be found. It is mostly free from seams and is easily quarried and dressed. The whole thickness exposed does not exceed ten feet, the courses varying from one to two and one-half feet, and being thicker than elsewhere in the State to the westward of Seneca Lake. None of the layers preserve a continuity of thickness. Some- times the courses are separated by a thin, irregular course of hornstone; at others this hornstone is in the center, or near the surface of the layer of lime- stone.
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