The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1882-06-10

islands; a trap soil, of limited extent, near
the foot of the igneous outbursts, and final
", alluvial bottoms, which are confined
almost exclusively to the valleys of the nu-
me-ous streams empVing into the lake,
1.-The drift soil prevails through the high
lands, elevated six hundred to one thousand
| feet above the level of the lake; also over
! the high grounds west of Chengwomigon
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 growth
of sugar maple, oak, and other hard woods,
They are found chiefly on high ridges and
| slopes, which, at the east and west ends of
the district, are only short distance from
the lake shore; but on the waters OF Bad
/ River and the Brule, they receede three
fourths Of the distance back towards the
| sources Of their various branches.
THE red clay and mari lands, occupying
! the high plains skirtng Lake Superior, are
characterized particularly by the prepond-
erance of oxide of iron, from which they
derive their color, and which amounts to
! four and a 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 argilaceous earth which enters into its
composition; hence, these red clay and
mari lands are often wet, particularly when
defended from the direct rays of the sun by
| 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 judicious system of
| husbandry, they would soon become suffic-
ently dry fot 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 excelled. The larger
! portion Of the Lake Superior basin is occu-
pied by these red clay and mari lands. The
! general elevation Of the red clay plains
| above Lake Superior is about two hundred
feet. They are, for the most part, level.
with a gentle slope towards the lake, cut,
however, into deep, abrupt gulles 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, it cannot be surpassed; forty
bushels of wheat to the acre is the average
OF 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 It's productive qualities one should
| see the crops on the ground at harvest
! time SIS the writer did last season. But
we have for twenty miles around Superior
three kinds of land, not differing materially
/ III productivencss, if properly titled. These
are the red clay, which is so much impreg
mated with lime, that it almost comes I'M
der the denomination of mari. The tama-
| rack swamp, which is mixture of red clay
with a large portion of decayed vegetable
matter, which with the action of water has
! changed its color to black, and will be our
! best meadow land. And what is usually
termed the hard wood land, generally con.
tanning a 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 profitable source of income to
the farmer.
OUR MINERAL RESOURCES.
Perhaps in this connection we can do no
better than to again copy from review of
this subject. published some time since, and
which still holds good. The article says:
"a praminent resource Of this portion Of
the lake region is its valuable mineral de-
posites. Beginning at the Michigan State
line, a heavy copper bearing trap range
extends from the lake shore in southwest
direction, crossing Bad river and continu-
ing southwest as far as township ~ north,
range L west, between the Nemakogan
and the Tetogotc rivers This range offers
every inducement to the operating miner
In the rear of this range, and extending
through a district Of country parallel, and
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 a 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
mineral wealth. This belt of trap widens
to the westward until reaching the western
boundary of Wisconsin, and upon its south
western extremity, near the headwaters of
Tamaracll 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 As, range II,
between Poplar and Amincon rivers. The
size and uniformity Of these veins, and the
quality of the imbedded rocks, shown on
copper creek; where the vein is cut across by
this stream in sections ii and 10, township AZ,
range II. This vein where ii shows in the cliff
on the east bank IS twenty feet wide, Between
the foot and the hanging walls besides saty
VEN stone easily worked, there are two well de
hned quartz veins of sixteen and twenty-four
inches thickness respectively both bearing native
copper,
There IS no doubt that the mineral range in the
vicinity OF Superior is as rich in copper as the
more eastern portion oft. Copper may possibly
not be found III as large masses as at 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 as those OF any
other locality on the lake.
ParteS who have explored the mineral range
on the \ orth Shore predict that copper mining is
destined 70 be come the great source of wealth to