The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1867-12-21

10. Owl Lake, Humboldt
Il. Lake Gertrude, Wright /"
10. Elm Lake,
II. "Wall Lake. f"
Is. Twin Lakes, Calhoun a
ii. "Wall Lake. Sac g
Almost every one of here lakes presents
the same phenomena, and is just as worthy
the name of walled lake. as those are con.
corning which so much has been said, They
vary from half mile to FIVE miles in length
some of which are beautiful little sheets Of
water, but others are SO grown up with wild
rice and rushes that they are quite interestnqs
IN appearance, and all of them shallow The
region where most Of them exist has a gently
undulatsng surface, AID the depressions be-
tween the numerous rounded elevations, not
communicating 80 freely with each other as
the depressions in well drained regions do,
have become occupied with peat marshes and
small lakes which dram into the nhper
branches Of the rivers that rise in or flow
through that region. The drit material
there consists much more largely of sand,
gravel and bculders than II does further to the
southwark, and the soil and subsoi contain
proportionaiy less clsyey material. It is
true lint on the more level prairies Of that re-
gion comparatively few boulders are seen
upon the surface, but along every stream and
near every lake they are abundant, showing
that they do exist there, and Tue reason why
they are not exposed on the more lsvel pra-
rtes snch assurrouuds W all bake in Wright
county, is because they have not been
'pauued out, TO use n miners phrase by
the wasliing of a lakelet's waves or the
eeaseless eurrent OF stream, but remain
eaYere3 hy the line material which consti
tuies the prairie soil. In the region Of ma,
j9rtY Of these lakes, however, beulders and
gravel are plentifaly distributed. being par.
iieularlY abundgn, some ct the .'kncbs,'
ard doubtless not less SO beneath the finer
soil mater al Of the lower lakes. Originally
the banks OF all these lakes were low, and ey-
idently sioped very gently to the water, and
thence the bottom sloped as gently to the
deeper parts Of the lake, which as before
said, are never very deep, fifteen feet being
: probably the greatest depth Of any. The
change in the character of their shores has
been produced entirely by Gee, and by the
dashing of the waves.
The walls. or more properly, embark
menis, are really very interesting natural OBJ
jects, and it is not surprising that they have
attracted some attention. They vary much
IN height ard width, as well as in the mate
rails which compose them. Sometimes they
are principally of boulders, but more often
of sand thrown out of the bed of the lake. |
In many instances where a peat marsh I
extends out like an arm Of the lake. it is en-
tlrely separated from it by an embankment Of
turf thrown up hy the same agency, but OF
turf because that, and no other material was
within reach of the ice. The turf embank-
ments sometimes have growth of willows
upon them, and have been called beaver
dams; bat beavers never attempt to dam still |
waters. They dam running streams to obtain
ponds Of still water. These turf embark.
menfs very much resemble the material thrown
out Of ditch III draining marsh but their
oricin is unmistakable. When the embank- |
ments are composed principally of boulders
they are usually thrown up from two to four |
feet high, and from FIVE to fifteen feet widh.l
and imbedded in sand gravel and earth, i
outside OF the embankment being usually
steep as the inner or lake side: and the Ia
ter often family resembles an artificial leye
Although they sometimes have degree
regularity, the baulders which compose the
are never arranged in any order, nor is the
IN appearance OF any work of art upon thei
The emuankments always separate pic
Of low ground from the lake. but where [
adjacent land is higher than The highest wat
of the lakes no embankment is formed, 1
the matt rails are simply crowded against t
shore until steep bold bank, often cover
with bouiders, is produced.
When they are composed principally
sand and gravel, q broadly rounded ridge
formed, such as we would expect from tho
materials; hnt when composed of more cart
materials they are often very steep and "
narrow, aud sdps,rted by a growth Of veget
ton upon them. Such as these were Sc,
on the east shore Of Rice lake. where Nh,
are in some instances so narrow that two pc
sons cannot walk abreast upon them, althous
they ara from four 10 six feet hieh. In 9th
phcesthey are vide enough foFa wagon roa
has upxsr sufficiently even for ono
Tie water in these lakes is almost alwa1
low in the latter part OF the year, and ii
froSts of winter still further reduce the Get
al depth, so that very little uufrozen water
mains ia some Of them. This is often know
to be the ease, and only few winters al
neatly all the fish OF Wall lake III nrig
county were killed by that means.
1t is evident that wherever the ice becau|
frozen to the bottom of the lake, it wou
freeze fast to, and in many instances enclosa
the bonlders and gravel which we're s,reM
upon its bottom. Now when spring returrA
the ice being raised by the rains and melt
Rncs4, would be CARED with its Larthens
the high water shore by the prevailing win
Let this process be repeated year after vel
from age to age, aud II is evident that ali /
boulters within reach of the ice would
time be taken up mud carried to the sho
and iest exactly where the force Of the j
ceased to act. Added To this, the alrnd
constant dashing OF the waves against /
beach during the warmer parts OF the vel
wousa have The eG'ec, Of carrying out lee
quantities Of gravel and sand which WOW
completely imbed the boulders. There il
anoihe- cause which doubtless assisted mo
than any other in giving the embankmeu
their-dedniie form.
The whole surface Of these lakes freez
Up almost simultaneously, and to conside
able depth. Now the natural expansion oil
soild cake of ice, from half mile TO f
miles IN diameter. has, every one know
enormous power, quite equal TO any a,nou
required 10 throw up any of The bouders
find ia the cubiliknents, Or crowd the,
thcky against the sleeper shores. No ma
ural force will bring them back again, M
the annual repetition Of the forces above n
ftrred to affords sufficient ex lanation Of the,
phenomena.
It may be thorght by some that the nr
cesses described would be too slow 10 pr|
duee the results which we see, but siowne
is quite in keeping with the mightest oper
tons Of nature. The mills of the gods grir
slowly bat they grind exceedingly fines
The shores OF Crystal Lake show tvo Sc
of embellishments, showing that a. a remo
period the lake occupied higher level, an
that its surface was lowered By the deepel
ing OF its outlet, when the second emban
ment was formed.
Seeing, then, that the original Of these On
bankuenis can be accounted for by thea
ton of natural force alone, It is difScule
understand how any one could suppose Il
human hands had anything to do :;
their construction. There is certainly moi
Ing Ia the arrangement of the materials Is,
IN any respect indicates such nm origin a.
the livelfest imagination refuses to surne
any object for which hnmsn beings couI
have desired them. OF to point
any evidence Of design in their loea,io
and plan. No associated remains Of huma
art have been discovered, and the existent
OF a few mounds in the town plat Of Sac Gil
% the only evidence we yet have that form,
er race inhabited the region of these lakela,a
Z. A. WHITE. State Geolosist.