The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1875-12-02
CUNNING.

took place at simmons hall TUESDAY
the 23d inst. The lecturer COM
menced by stating that the embar-
rassment of the evening is that OF
riches-our theme is so rich in sub
iects deserving our attention, that it
is difficult to select those which our
time will permit US to discuss. l
shall tell you of the history that
Wisconsin tells of itself. For this
evening we are all State Biologists,
and together we will make our ex-
cursions. First then, wherever the
foundation rocks have been thrown
up the rock bed will be folded into
ridges-sometimes mountains !; and
at other places depressions will be
formed, by the downward folding of
the rocks. At La Crosse we shall
find one Of these ridges ; and from
this ridge the rock-bsds will incline
downward east and west. This
eastward deepening continues until
it reaches point under Lake Erie.
Lake Michigan is over portion OF
this basin. Alta Crosse the old
granite comes to the surface which
is the oldest rock in this state, and
is also the Oldest rock which shows
evidence cf life having been instru-
mental in it's formation. Starting
then, from La Crosse, tow ard Keno
sha, cutting the state down to this
granite we shall have base line,
which has a continually increasing
depth, and passing beneath the lake
at great distance below it. This
old Laurentian Granite rock, which
forms the lowest bed that comes TO
the surface in this state contains
particles Of metal and, as was shown
in former lecture, the metals were
only gathered from the waters of the
primeyal sea by the action of life,
SO we infer that there must have
been some form Of life at the time
these rocks were forming to take
the metallic atoms from the older sea
and deposite it where we find it
and thus we find here in Wisconsin
some of the evidences of the earliest
life on our globe-for below this
Laurentian rock is Conglomerate
which bears no record of lie. This
granite rock was formed, then by
deposite from a sea-how do we
know this Why, in the old rock
we shall find feld-spar. In every
crystal Of field spar is imprisoned q
particle of water-of sea water. We
analyze this old sea water and we
find it much richer in many of the
metals and especially lime. Now
we know why the granite buildings
of Boston did not stand the intense
heat of it's great fre-the heat turn
ed these particles of water into
steam and burst the stone into
fragments. The particles of which
this rock is composed are the shells
of minute plants which fourished in
that primeyal sea. All rocks have
passed through the mill of life, ex-
cept the conglomerate, which as
shown in a'previous lecture was form
ed by burning, and is cinder.
Above this cinder-rock, all rocks
have passed through the mill of lif'
Immediately above and resting
upon this old granite lies the potsdam
sand stone. This sand stone is about
5000 feet below the surface, and is
the oldest rock which is stratifed.
Above this potsdam sandstone we
shall find the magnetism lime stone.
The old sea from which this stone
was made was largely composed OF
magnesia. Over this bed OF nagne-
sian limestone we find ST. Peers
sand stone. This sand stone has no
characterize features that are strik-
ing or prominent. This stone is very