The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1859-10-27
State Geological Survey.--To County Sur
veyors Throughout the State of Michigan.

1t has appeared to me that portion
of the legitimate objects of the Geo
logical Survey of the State, might be
promoted by directing the attention of
acting and former County Surveyors,
to the Topography of their respective
Counties.
Your pursuits lead you into every
quarter of the inhabited portion of the
State, and often many miles beyond
the limits of the settlements, and the
nature of your duties is such, that you
as,aacoidabiy notice the typographical
features of the districts you survey.
Many of you are by this means already
placed in possession of an accurate and
detailed knowledge of the topography
of one or more counties. All this in
formation collected together, with that
which is still readily obtainable, would
constitute mass of facts of immense
interest to our citizens, and to persons
intending to emigrate to our State.
The object of this circular is to re-
quest you to prepare written accounts
of the Topography of your respective
counties, to be transmitted to me, to
serve as material in the preparation of
absorption of the Physical Geography
of the State. Such accounts should
embrace notice of the location and
extent of Marshes, Dry Plains, Rolling
Land, Lakes, Streams, and deposits of
Peat, Marl, Bog Iron Ore, and other
superficial accumulations. The COM
parative ruggedness of rolling and
broken regions; the occurrence of
mineral springs, or springs of sweet
water of unusual copiousness; the pre-
vailing kinds of timber; the color, fine
ness and productive qualities of the
soil; whether abounding in gravel, sand,
clay or vegetable NATTER these are all
characters which it would be well to
embrace in an account of the topo-
graphy of county. If, in addition to
this, | could be informed relative to
the localities and kinds of rock occur
ring in your county; the mineral pro-
ductions of interest; fossil bones or any
other fossil remains, you would con-
tribute much toward a rapid compile
ton of the work which have in charge.
The only inducement which l can
offer that should lead you to undertake
the labor proposed, is the praise of that
public spirit, and the qualification of
that consciousness of doing good, which
prompt to nearly all the noble deeds
that do honor to the names of their
authors. Every one however acting on
the suggestions of this circular, will re-
ceive full credit for the part which he
shall have performed, in the published
reports of the Geological Survey; and
will thus be enabled to enjoy the graft
tude of his fellow citizens.
1t is earnestly hoped that this circu-
lar may not be put aside for some future
consideration, but that the work sug-
gested may be Immediately commen-
ccd. The paper of Mr.. S. A. Pettibone,
on the Topography of Washtenaw
County, read some time since before
the State Historical Society, shows
what a County Surveyor may do; and
might be taken as model by other
surveyors or ex-surveyors.
Only the impossibility of addressing
you individually has caused me to resort
to the publication of circular; hope
therefore your personal interest will be
the same as if in direc correspondence
with myself. Shall not see the fulfill
ment of my expectations in relying
upon this educated class of our citizens?
A. WINCHELL,
State Geologist.
Ann Arbor, Mich, Sept. 1st, 1859.