Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1858-03-04
| WHOLE NO 1919
Walled Lake in Iowa

A correspondent OF the Cincinnati Gas-
ette, gives an account of walled lake in
Wright county, Iowa. He says:
TO ME it was ohe Of the greatest curios-
tiles have ever seen-envelo2ed as its his
tory is with a mantle that will probably
never be Withdrawn. This lake lies in the
midst Of vast plain-the rich, gentle un-
dulating prairie extending for many miles
I IN every direction. The lake covers an area
OF about 600 acres. The water is clear and
cold, with hard, sandy Bottom, from two
to twenty-five feet deep. There is a strip
OF timber about half way round it, probably
ten rods wide, being the only timber in
many,,miirs. Tlers is uaR Of heary stOsea all
round it,
cit is no accidental matter. !, has been
built with human hands. In some places
the land is higher than the lske, in which
case the wal! only amounts to something
ike a rip rap protection. This, / believe,
is what engineers call it. Bat in other
places the water is higher in the lake than
the prairie outside of the wall. The " all ID
SSAhC PIo\CS 10 tCu ICCt hiGhs II 10 lIti lGCtl
feet wide at the base, sloping up both sides
to five feet wide on the top. The vail IS
built entirely Of boulders, from three tuns
in size down to fifty pounds. They are all
what are called lost rock. | am no geolo-
gist, and consequently can give no learned
description of them. They are not, how
ever, natives, "to the manor born" Nor
has the wal been made by the washing
away of the earth, and leaving the rocks.
There is no native rock in this region. Be-
sides, this is a continuous wall, two miles of
which, at least, is higher than the land
the top OF the wall is level, while the land
Is undulating-sO the wall is in some places
two ieet. and in others ten feet high These
recks, many of them at least, must have
been brought lang distance-prubabiy five
or ten miles. In Wright county the best
rocks are scattered pretty freely, but as you
approach this lake they disappear, showing
that thoy have been gathered BY some
agency-when or by whom history will
never unfold. Some of the largest oaks IN
the grove are growing up through the wall,
pushing the rocks in. in some cases, outside
in others, accommodating their shape 10 the
rocks. The lakes abound with excellent
fish. The land in that township yet belongs
to the Government
"When | was there in the spring of 1856.
the wind had blown u large piece of ice
against the southwest part of the wall, aud
h; d knocked it down, 50 that the water was
running out, and flooding the farms Of some
of the settlers, and they were about to rs-
pair the wall 10 protect their crops. 1t is !
beautiful farm land nearly all around this
lovely lake.
The readers Of the Gazette should not i'm
agiHe that the wall around this lake Is as
regular and Ss nice as the wall around the
iou ntain in front Of the City Hall in New
York, nor need any entertain the theory
that it is a natural wall; but it, has h-eui
built hundreds, and probably thousands OF
years. The antiquary may speculate by
whom this mighty, as well as craamental
work was done, but it will only be s2ecuia-
zion.
notwithstanding the water in the lake !
is pure and cool, there is no visible feeder or
outlet. This like is about twelve miles /
north of the located line OF the Dubuque and /
Pacific Railroad, and about one hundred and
hty miles west Of the former place. The /
time is coming when the lake will be t !
great place o, public resort