Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1870-01-07

Special Correspondence to Iowa State Register
WALL LAKE
CLARION, WRIGHr Co, Iowa,
Sentember. 1863.

bLAhi0Ni w RIGHT Co, IONA,
September, 1862
We remember, some fifteen years ago, Of
reading in an Eastern paper. a very elabo-
rate account Of a wonderful Walled Lake, :"
situated in Wright county, Iowa Since
that time, it has frequently excited the at
tention Of the curious, although it is some
times eonfounded with other Lakes, Of the
same name situated elsewhere. Your read
ers should understand that the lake in
Wright county is the original Var Lake,
the claims of the lakes in Hamilton and
Sac counties to the contrary, notwithstand-
ing 1t is not our purpose to repeat the
marvellous stories which have doubtless ex-
cited the wonder of those who have read the
various accounts above referred to, but mere
ly to describe Wall Lake as Il Is.
The lake is situated in township 90, north
Of range "a west, being within some thscs
or four miles Of The south line Of the coun-
IT, In company with George A. Mckay
Esq, Of Clarion, who generously furnished
a team we drove down to the lake, the dis
tance from this place being about eight
miles. On the way, we passed through
what is called the Homestead Settlement, "
+ where large number Of families have avail
ed themselves Of the benefits of the Home
stead Law. Many Of them have well-im
proved farms that you could hardly buy for
less than SIS or $50 per acre, although most
of them are five or six miles from any tim
Der, except the groves which they have
planted Thousands of acres Of the finest
prairie, however, in this part Of the county,
is the property Of Eastern non-residents
some Of it belonging to such distinguished
persons as William II. Seward and 0. b.
Matteson, of New York. 1t is not likely
that Mr. Stewards 'Alaska Purchase" viii
ever produce for the Government so luxuri-
ant crop of grass as that which now covers
the surface Of his own rich Iowa lands.
But, we we're about to write Of our visit
to Wall lake As we approached it, we re
membered having been told that all the boul
ders had been gathered up, for miles and
miles around it, to be used in making the
walls Of the lake. We discovered, however,
that the wall builders had occasionally over
looked lost rock and even at no great
distance from the lake shore
The first object seen, connected with the
lake, as you approach it, is the grove of
timber, containing about twenty acres, on
the southeast border, with few trees also
on the north side. From some directions
the grove can be seen for a distance of ten
or twelve miles By our road, we approach
ed from the north, and drove around the
west end OF the grove. The only settler in
the immediate vicinity Of the lake, is Mr.
f. p Purcell, who came there in 1856. 10
1859, he laid out a city, which appears upon
the records of the county, as "Wall Lake
City That was ten years ago, and the
city" now contains one building school
house, built by taking the lands of specula
tors, who were probably as much interested
in the success of Wall Lake City," as Mr.
Purcell himself Mr.. Purcelfs own resi-
dence, we believe, is outside of the city
limits, in the suburbs. OF late, he has re-
purchased many of the lots which were sold,
and is attaching them to the excellent farm
which he owns there
After partaking of the generous hospital
ties Of our pioneer friend, and enjoying the
pleasures of boat ride on the lake, we were
ready for more particular examination of
the object of our visit
The area Of the lake, embraced within the
wal, " Is by survey, 2l40 acres, or some
thing over three square miles The debth
Of the water in very few places exceeds ten
feet, and viii average, perhaps, not more
than eight. 1t is very clear, but at this sea-
of the year. the beauty of the lake is great
ly marred by dense and unsightly growth
Of rushes. The water, however, is SO clear
and transparent that the bottom may be
easily seen to the debth of ten feet The
bottom is a compound of gravel and sand,
and in many places, is covered with a pc
culiar kind Of grass or moss, of a deep green
color
1 The wall is composed of gravel and
/ boulders of all sizes, up to several tons in
weight We could discover no regularity or
system in their arrangement, except that
the larger rocks are usually at the base,
circumstance which would result from natu-
raj causes. There are, nevertheless some
singular features about this structure, ex-
! tending as it does, around, and enclosing so
large a body of water One striking pecu-
/ liarity, is the fact, that the adjacent land on
! the outside is apparently almost as low for a
/ long distance back from the lake, on all
sides, except the southeast, as the surface
/ Of the water inside. In some places, IN.
deed, it is much lower, so that if the wall
were removed, the waters of the lake would
certainly spread out over some three or four
/ times its present area Of surface Much of
this surrounding low land is marsh, and
on the north side, some four or five hundred
acres have become peat led, Of from four
to six feet in depth, showing that from yege
table aecumulations, the process of filing up
/ has been going on, perhaps for many CEN
turies There is a good reason for believing
that these adjacent marshes and lowlands
once constituted a part Of greater lake,
now contracted to the comparatively smaller
one inside Of the wall" The general level
of the top of the wall seems to be quite
uniform, but the hight on the outer side
varies, according to the elevation or depres-
sion Of the ground At the grove on the
south east border Of the lake, the land comes
up level, or flush, with the top of the wall. :"
In few other places the land rises up with
in a foot or two Of the tor, but, as before
stated, il is generally quite as low as the
lake inside. The wall is a ridge, or en-
baukment, resembling a towing path
along canal, only that it is composed
chiefly of boulders, or "lost rocks, of all
the various kinds Gound on onr prairjes