The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1882-04-22

The DRIFT soil prevails through the hioh
lands, elevated six hundred to one thousand
feet above the level of the lake; also over
the high grounds west of Chenpwomioon
Bay, at the height of three hundred to six
hundred feet. and the higher points of the
neighboring Apostle Islands,
The trap soil, which support a growth
OF sugar maple oak, and other hard woods.
are next, III richness To the a!luvial lands,
They are found chiefly on high ridges and
slopes, which, at the east and west ends of
the district, are only n short distance from
the lake shore; but on the waters of Bad
River and the Brule, they receede three
tourths of the distance back towards the
sources of their various branches.
The red clay and mari lands. occunying
the high plains skirting Lake Superior, are
characterized particularly by the prppond
erance Of oxide of iron, from which they
derive their color, and which amounts to
four and half per cent, or nearly one.half
of the weight of the saline matter; it is Al.
ways a retentive soil, from the abundance
of argillaceous earth witch enters into lis
composition; hence, these red clay and
mari lands are often wet, particularly when
defended from the direct RAYS of the sun bv
the dense growth Of cedar, balsam. spruce
birch, and hemlock that usually covers
them. Still, these lands are not SO wet but
that by clearing and a judicious system of
husbandry, they would soon become suffic-
iently dry 70 most kinds of crops and gard
en- vegetables. They may be compared in
quality to the red lands Of Maryland and
Virginia, which border the Potomac River.
in Montgomery and London counties, which
by deep subsoil ploughing and proper
system of drainage, produce wheat crops
that can hardly be exceled. The larger
portion of the Lake Superior basin is occu-
pied by these red clay and mari lands. The
general elevation of the red CLAW plains
above Lake Superior is about two hundred
feet. They are, for the most part. level.
with gentle slope towards the lake, cut,
however, into deep, abrupt gullies in the
immediate vicinity of the streams.
"The bulk of the land as yet cultivated in
this country, is what is known as the red
clay soil; and it has proved productive in
the highest degree. Vegetables of the lar
gcst size and finest quality are grown in it;
and for the production of wheat, rye, barley
and oats, 1t cannot be surpassed; forty
bushels of wheat to the acre is the average
Oh thesh lanus. and in many instances they
have yielded fifty bushels"
In the immediate vicinity of Superior the
soil is of this red clay variety, and to un.
derstand its productive qualities one should
see the crops on the ground at harvest
time, as the writer did last season. But
we have for twenty miles around Superior
three kinds of land. not differing materially
in productiyencss, if properly titled. These
are the red clay, which is so much impreg
mated with lime, that it almost comes un-
der the denomination of mari. The tama.
rack swamp. which is a mixture of red CLAW
with large portion Of dccayed vegetable
matter, which with the action of water has
changed It's color to black, and will be our
best meadow land. And what is usually
termed the hard wood land generally con.
tanning mixture OF sand or gravel, and
bearing the oak, ash, elm, sugar maple.
yellow birch, &C. This soil. producing as
it does luXuriant grasses. will make stock
growing a profitable source Of income to
the farmer.
OUR MINERAL RESOURCES.
Perhaps in this connection we can do no
better than to again copy from "A review Of
this subject. published some time since. and
which still holds good. The article SAYS:
~ praminent resource of this portion of
the lake region is its valuable mineral de-
posites. Beginning at The Michigan State
line. heavy copper-braring trap range
extends from the lake shore in a southwest
direction. crossing Bad river and contiuu-
inc southwest as far rs township - north
range II west, between the Nemakogan
and the Tetogotic rivers. This range offers
every inducemeut to the operating miner
In the rear OF this range, and extending
through district Of country parallel, aud
nearly as far to the westward, is the IRON
bearing range, which promises to be an
unlimited source OF wealth to this part Of
the State.
From the Apostle Islands starts anoth-
er copper range, not yet fully explored
running in southwest direction, parallel
with the two ranges previously mentioned,
and which in time will prove to be equally
valuable.
Three other ranges Of this character, in
the vicinity Of Flag, Cranberry, and Iron
rivers, affording exposures of rock in very
few places, but from the finding of masses
of copper in the vicinity, it is safe to con
clude that they, too. are valuable. These
ridges are considerably depressed when they
cross Iron river, but rise again before they
reach Brule river, and attain, in the
vicinity OF that stream, an elevation of
from eight hundred to one thousand feet
above the level of the lake, with abundant
exposures and valuable indications of their
M Ia, Ii. Il
TO the westward until reaching the western
boundary of Wisconsin, and upon its south
western extremity, near the hcadwaters of
Iamarack creek, good specimens of copper
are found in the bedded rocks at the sur
face.
The range that has been most extensive
ly explored rises in township AZ, range 2,
between Poplar and Aminicon rivers. The
size and uniformity of these veins, and the
quality of the imbedded rocks, are shown on
copper creek; where the vein is cut across by
TINS stream in sections IA and 10, township a,
range IA. This vein where it shows in the cliff
on the east bank is twenty feet wide, Between
the foot and the hanging walls. besides slaty
vein stone easily worked, there are two well de-
fined quartz veins of sixteen and twenty -four
inches thickness respectively both bearing native
There is no doub. that the mineral range in the
vicinity of Superior is rich in copper as the
more eastern portion of it. Copper may possibly
not be found in rs large masses as ut the Mime
sofa Mine but we feel justified in saying that
when properly worked, the veins at this end of
the range, will turn out as well those of any
other locality on the lake.
Parties who have explored the mineral range
on the North Shore predict that copper mining Is
destined TO be some the great source of wealth to
that section. They represent that locality as
Astounding in rich veins: NOT as they gene
rally found, in ore, yielding only small per
centage, but in masses of almost pure metal The
specimens found justify the assertion, that as far
as surface indications can show, that locality Is
as rich in mineral as any in the world
With railroads penetrating these mineral dis
trlctS, some of them our very door. 1t Is plain