The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1873-09-25

Ihe following 'etter rom frencn
& Bennett, surveyors Roscom-
non, M lch., will be read with at
tcn'ion by all who are intercstde
in the capacities and development
of Northern Michigan:
Roso,'MsIoN, August 80, 1878.
DEAR SIR In answer to your
letter Of enquiry, regarding lands,
and the opportunities Of procur-
ing good homes here, We reply,
thar "thc settlements in Roscom
mon county are Low very new.
This county was not opened to
settlement. until about enc year
ago, for want ofRailroad cominun
icatioD, which difficulty has been
removed by the construction OF
the jackson, lansing IL Sag
| inaw Railroad, now completed
through this part of our State.
Since its completion St. uelens,
Beaver Lake and Roscmnmon sta.
tions have been opened, and
settlements commenced il
their immediate vicinitics, which
are now beginning to increase
very lively. This growth appears
to be healthy and Ia a.,ing, thereby
insuring important re tsults for the
future.
The character Of lands in Ros-
common county are such we usn
ally denominate pine plains. They
derive this name from The fact
that at somc hate period of time
'hcy have been well timbercd
with thick forests Of pine, which
have been slowly but gradually
removed by fire since their first
discovery and occupancy 10y ex-
plorcrs, traprers, surveyors a'd
Indians. Thcac burnings seem
to have confined themselves prin-
cipalIy to the table lands, situate
intermediate between the high
and low lands, leaving the low
lands timbcrcd with cedar, tam
arac, birch, asrcn, beech, maple,
cherry, he,nlock aud pine, in their
principal clothing, while the high
lands, cropping ont with gravclly
and claycy soils, have escaped the
destructive force Of fires in great
degree, and still remain primeval
forests Of pine timber, mixed with
white and red oak and other dy-
cl,otrinus varieties. The surface
soils Of this county are generally
ght and sandy, but in some sec
tons there are gravelly and loamy
soils, with heavy aud continuous
underlying strata of arSiIlaceous
dispositions rs blue and brick clays
clay marIs and shalc, with thin
veins OF coal, formed in the 'Jnras.
sic period. aL 5
Over these deposits the north
ern drift has placed liu.c and con-
ylo'neratc rock, stone and gravel,
and in some places gneiss and
granite boulIcrs, transported here
irom the arctic regions, by foes Of
ice, aud glacier action. This drift
has since been constantly dcnud-
ing down by modified drift action
Influenced by the elevations OF
lands aud subsidcnce Of waters,
consequently, the valleys are al
luviun dcpositions consisting Of
docayed, and decaying animal
and mineral matter, vegetable
mold and disintegraded rocks, of
a former period mixed up with
tho shell and decaying matter Of
the present times forming eecon-
Diary, aud tertiary stratams of al
luvium soils, tinctured with new
chemical combinations in binary
form. Through these bottopis
streams OF water have cnt their
way, exposing to view the solid
stratums, lying underneath, Of an
older age, and ages. Upon this
foundation we are now building
our homes, with sufficient pine
timber TO local sections to SIMPLY
tho rapid gr"wth of numbering,
in combination with an agricultu
raj district. The table lands OF
this county, afford the very finest
kind ofpasturagc, in form OF blue
JOINT grasscs, wild Data, etc, while
upon the bottom lands there is a
largo hniaber Of beaver.neadows,
producing hundreds of tons of
good hay, for stock Of all kinds.
Tho lakes and ponds in this
section (of which there isa large
Variety are splendid sheets of
,,ura eprinor xvofor an clenr iudood