White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1858-02-25
il /. NUMBER 3d.,
A CURIOSITY IN IOWA.

A correspondent OF Che Cincinnati Gazette,
writing from Grundy County, Iowa, gives the
following account of one Of the most interesting
relics Of the civilization and labOrs'Of 4 former
age, shat can be found on thisIeOntipent. He
says I'm -..r-rT d. LII ;-,-,,.;aF ii
/ have intended for some time to, give the
readers Of the Gazette description OF Walled
Lake, which is situated in Wright County, Iowa.
To me il was one Of the greatest curiosities
he'd ever seen-enveloped as its history Is 'Wif6
a mantle that will probably neverbe Withdrawn.
This Lake lies in the midst of vast plain-the
rich, gently undulating prairie extending for
many miles in every direction. The Lake COW
ers an area of about 1900 aeresli The water d
clear and cold, with hard, sandy bottoms from
two to twenty-five feet deep. There is AstEip
of timber about half way round IL probably ten
rods wide, being the only timber in many miles.
There is wall Of heavy stone all round it. -
II is no accidental matter. 1t has 0een built
with human hands. IN some places the land,le
higher than the Lake, in which case the wall
only amounts to something like Rip Rap pro.
lection. This, l believe, Is what engineers call
IT, But in other places the water Is higher in
the Lake than the prairie outside Of the wali0
The wall in some places is 10 feet high u ID
feet vide at the base, slOping mp both sides % 5
feet wide on the top. The wall is built entirely
ofboulders, from three tons in size, down to 6f-
ty pounds. They are what are called lost rock.
am no geologist. and consequently can give
no learned description Of them. They are nOs1
however, natives TO the manor born" Nor
has the wall been made b5 the washing away Of
the earth aud leaving the rocks. There. is no
native rock in this region. Besides. this Is q
continuous wall, two miles Of which, at least, Il
higher than the land. The top Of the wall is
level. while the land is undulating-so, the yyl
is in some places two feet, and in others ten feet
high. These rocks, many of them at least, must
have been brought long distance-probably
FIVE or ten miles. In Wright County, the best
rocks are scattered pretty freely; bet as yoa ap-
proaeh the Lake, they disapPcar-shoWing that
they have been gathered by some agency,
when, or by whom. history will never unfold.
Some Of the largest oaks In the grove are grow.
| ing up through the waA, pushing TIE rocks7ini
in some cases, outside in others, accommodating
their shape to the rocks The Lake abounds in
excellent fish, The land in that Township yet
belongs to the Government.
when was there, in The Spring Of 1856, the
wind had blown large piece Of ice against the
southwest part of the wall, and had knocked il
down, so that the water was running out, and
flooding the farms of some Of the settlers, and
they were about to repair the wall, to protect
their crops. 1t is beautiful farm laad nearly all
around this lovely Lake.
The readers Of the Gazette should not imag.
inc that the wall around the Lake is rs regular
and as nice as the wall around the FOunsain In
front Of the City Hall, in New York, nsr need
any entertain the theory that it is natural walls
but it has been built hundreds, and probably
thousands of years. The antiquarian may spec
ulate by whom this mighty. as well as ornameu.
tai work was done, bnt il will only be specula'
ton. . .a 81
Notwithstanding the water in the Lake is
pure and cool, there is no visible feeder nor out
let. This Lake is about twelve miles north Of
the located line Of the Dubuque and Pacific
Railroad, and about one hundred and ffty miles
west Of Tho former place. The time Is coming
when the Lake will be a great place of public
resort. f...-- 1900.