Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-01-31
eE0L THE LEApREe


Onilke most regions which nature ha
selected for the reception of metalli,
ores and useful minerals, the Lead re
gion bears no evidences OF any sud
den disturbances, or violent action O
physical forces. The effects produced
by igneous and eruptiye agencies ar,
wanting. Faults and dislocations O
strata are nowhere found. The onl,
irregularities are slight upheavals, O.
bending of the strata land these neye
OF great extent), producing change,
OF but few feet from the normal din
Between the geological condition
and the general surface contour of The
country, there is no direct correlation
The existance of bill or a valley or
the surface is not due to subterra
mean elevation or depression of the
surface, as is by many supposed, and
whatever irregularities exist. must be
chiefly attributed to tie milder natu.
raj agencies now constantly at work
such as running water, frost, winds
ETC., acting through an immensely long
period of time.
Drainage The most marked and
persistent feature of the Lead region
is the long dividing ridge, or water.
shed, which, commencing near Madi.
son, continues almost directly west to
the blue Mounds, a distance of abou,
twenty miles. Here il takes a slight
bend to the southwest for fifteen miles
until 1t reaches Dodgeville, where il
resumes its westerly course until i,
terminates in the bluffs at the conflu
ence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi
rivers; It's total length is about 81
miles. Two points are noticeable
one is, its general uniform directness
OF outline Git being subject to but few
and unlmportant fexures); and the
other is its paralleism with the Wis
consin river, so long as the latter holds
an approximately westerly course; the
summit of the ridge being always
about fifteen miles from the river.
The divide maintains an average
elevation of about six hundred fee,
above Lake Michigan, and is seldom
less than five. or more than seven hun
dred, except at the Blue Mounds
where 1T gradually rises east and west
for several miles, until it a.tains an ell
ovation at the west mound of I,I5I
feet. This, however, is an extreme
case, and, in fact, the only marked
exception to its general level. In the
town OF Mount Hope, slight decrease
OF elevation commences, and contin-
ues to the western end of the divide
where the elevation is about 43O feet
at a point within mile of both the
Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers
There are, also, two main branches OF
subdivisions OF the watershed: OF
these, the western is the ridge which
separates the waters that flow into
the Platte and Fever rivers, and from
those which flow into the Pecatonica.
1t leaves the main divide in the town
OF Wingville, and passing, THROUGH the
in a southeasterly direction, passes
out of the state in the town of Monti'
cello. This ridge is not SO conspicu
Gus as the main watershed, either fol
the directness of its course, or the uni
fornity of its elevation. The mos
conspicuous points on it are the Platt,
Mounds, which appear from a dis
lance to be very high, but are in real
i'y only relatively SO, their actual ele
walton being only about seven hun
dred feet above Lake Michigan. TIL,
ridge appears to slope somewhat, il
its approach to Illinois, its average ell
ovation there being about 500 feet.
The easterly subdivision is tina
which separates the waters Of Thu
Pecatonica and Sugar rivers. 1t ma,
be said to begin at the Blue Mounds
or couple of milee east of them, an,
pursuing quite a devious cours,
through the townships OF Primrose
Washington and Monroe, it crosse
the state line in the town of Jefferson
This ridge is characterized by a mucl
greater want of uniformity in its gen
eral course, and by its very irregula
elevation. 1t is much narrower thai
either Of the others, more abrupt in it
slopes, and contains quite a larg
number of hills and low places, espe
cially in the towns of Primrose, Perry
York and New Glarus, in whic
towns the streams head within com
paratively short distances of eac
other, on opposite sides of the water
shed.
| These are the principal elevation
of the country affecting the drainage
there are, OF course, many minor one.
such as the divides between the Gran
and Platte rivers, or the sewers
branches of the Peoatonica they ar,
however, merely subordinate ridge,
and are but the details of The gencrs
!, plan.
Streams. Having thus given
general outline view of the system {
watersheds, few remarks on the ri,
ers and drainage of the Lead regio
are necessary to supplement them
AS preliminary remark, it is well {
hear in mind. that their present stu,
ton was probably never modified c
influenced by drift or glacial agencies
the evidence being insufficient I
prove that there ever was any dri
deposited in the Lead region, tn
probabilities being rather to the COZ
trary. Promising this, it follows, tn:
! the location of streams must have d,
pended on the natural eon6guratio
of the country, and the superior &C
: vantages Of certain strata in certai
positions, predisposing them to b
come the beds of streams. Otht
things being equal, surface water
would naturally form a channel fir,
in the more soft and easily erosibl
strata lying along the line of strike {
some soft formation, and would caus
a river to conform its first channel I
, its outcropping edge. Simultaneous
, its tributaries would shape their char
nels, approximately at right angles |
the river, under the following cond
tons: when the general slope an
drainage OF the country is not col
trary to the geological dip of til
:, formations; which, IN the Lead regio
does not appear ever to have bee