The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1880-11-04
Random Thoughts.
BY d. MACKLEY.

A short time ago spoke about going to the Grassy
Beaver Pond for blackberries when was boy.
this place nearly every day during the summer
and fall from the time can first remember any thing
up to year 1S47 Our went to this place. and
beyond, over on Reese's Ridge in the range, and
had to go after them in the evening. Then, on the
point north pond service berries in june
backberres in the creek bottom in July, and fox
grapes in September; so was there very often.
have not been the Beaver Pond for about thirty
years. and 1 got to thinking much about it that
concluded to down to Oak Hill some fine morning,
get good riding horse from Theophilus Lewis and
go over there, it being miles little south of
west from Portland Coax HILL There is one objec-
tion. always think of this weird, wild place, as
saw it in my childhood. What mystery is the hu-
mind. In the twinkling of an eye am fifteen
miles away, and fifty years back in time, and can see
myself boy, at the Beaver Pond, and my sisters
and my crippled brother with me. do not want to
go back there and all changed, Very likely the
old pond is now corn-feld.
Some years ago described the geological formation
of this remarkable stream-the Black Fork of Symmes
Creek. When lived there it was a sluggish stream
the WATER when high, spreading all the bottom
land. Ages back think the current must have been
rapid About quarter of a mile below Jefferson
Furnace the creek takes course directly south, for
more than half mile, when originally it ran square
against high hill. Then the stream whirled to the
right and north until it struck another high hill,
then turned south again: In this bend was the usual
point land From this point, the bottom to
the hill the south, the beavers ages ago, con-
structed their dam raised the water all the
Grassy Beaver Pond, until the water poured over the
point and cut it down until the channel remained
there Where the water poured over these points, it
cut pond the lower side of the point. One of
these points, quarter of mile south of Jefferson
Furnace, was solid rock, and it must have taken
hundreds perhaps thousands of years for the water
to down the rock to its present condition The
pouring of this water this rock cut out what
was known the "Cow Pond.'' This pond contained
between one and two acres of water.
The water kept all over the Grassy Beaver
Pond perhaps hundreds of years. and thus killed
all the timber solitary maple tree, the
point. Below the point, and below the dam, in the
large bottom made by the northern whirl of the
water cutting into the hill, it wet and marshy,
and there hundreds of large water maple trees.
This place was known the maple Swamp" When
the white came the beavers left, and the water
above the dam receded from the land and the timber
being gone, thick coat of grass covered the ground,
and patches of blackberry briers wild rose bushes,
ETC., up, and in places, both in the upper and
lower bottoms were foX-grape vines.
AS have already said, like to think of this place
as knew it SO well in my boyhood When friend
dies, do not like to the dead body but like to
remember that friend in health happiness;
and do not like to the great changes wrought
by converting these romantic of my childhood
into meadows and cornfieds, and have almost con-
cluded to visit these places no more.