Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1900-05-15
The Valley of the Rock.

Among the notes sent out by the
division Of forestry under date of May
2, we find the following which concerns
an important part of Wisconsin. Prob
ably there is no river valley in the
country so rich in all which makes a
healthy, wealthy and contented people
as that of Rock river. 1t is strictly
an agricultural region save some lead
mines. 1t combines climate and soil
so as to make it near perfection. Here
is what it says:
1.-The watershed of Rock river in
Northern Illinois will soon be the sub
iect Of an investigated b. the division
Of forestry in order to determine the
cause of the diminution of the stream.
This is supposed to be due to the de-
mutation of the forests along it's head
waters and to excessive artificial q train
age for commercial and agricultural
purposes. The decrease in volume of
water has become alarming. and, in
response to the agitation Of citizens in
that locality, their representative in
congress, Hon. Ii. r. Hit, has applied
to the secretary of agriculture for an
investigation. G.. Fred Schwartz,
field assistant in the division of fores
try, will proceed to Rock river in a
short time to study the conditions and
report in favor of such action as he
finds advisa bile"
The territory concerned covers the
entire counties of Rock, Green, JEFF
ferson and Dodge. These form a good
introduction to the Rock 1t includes
most of La Fayette and Dane counties,
parts of Iowa, Columbia, Fond du Lac.
Washington, Waukesha and Wal
worth. The famous Four Lakes
country about Madison and the lake
gems around Oconomowoc except
Pewaukee lake, with Beaver Dam,
Fox lake and Koshkonong, give the
valley an unrivaled reputation for
beauty. The cities within it's borders
are Darlington. Dodgeville, Mineral
Point, Madison, Waupun, Watertown,
Juneau, Beaver Dam, Oconomowoc.
Whitewater, Beloit, GAINESVILLE and
Monroe, with many smaller ones. If
the Investigations are continued into
Illinois, the valley will be found to
support an equally dense and wealthy
population to its end at Rock Island.
Only small part of this territory,
in Wisconsin, could ever have been
called wooded; that is the northeast
ern part, and that was all hard wood
with tamarack swamps on the bot
b,,&
at all ever grew in the Rock valley
The great part of it was prairie and
bur- oak openings. 1t is probable
that denudation plays an inconspicuous
part in the diminution of water in the
river. Cultivation plays a much
greater part. 1t is true that the ex-
treme sources of the Rock were tim
bered.
The country covered is all limestone
| with glacial deposits Of gravel over
large part of it, and the southern
part is prairie or alluvial soil. In the
southwestern part are many mounds"
OF various names, so beautiful and
! strange. They represent indurated
rock which the most ancient erosiOns
were not sufficient to erode. They
are hard chunks left standing by the
great ice flows from the northeast.
| In the river tributaries of this section
are found the wonderful Wisconsin
pearls. No other waters appear to
produce them. 1t is hard telling
what the investigation will determine,
if any; but the investigators will find
the garden of the earth in the Rock
valley, the mother Of wealth and
health and a sturdy. intelligent people
such as is hard to tch.-Milwaukee
Journal