The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1903-05-15
Prot. Halls Opinion Of What Mime.
sofa Was in Glacial Period.
Swan Lake Cannot Be Replenished
Because Of High Altitude.
Former Days There Were Ten Thous-
and Lakes in This State.
1t Took Many Years to Develop the
Great Red River Valley.
From Saturdays Daily.

Geographically, Minnesota has GEN.
trail position in North America. Physio-
graphically, it occupies crest of the
continent. 1t is not high in relief or low,
but is the happy medium, giving its resi-
dents healthy and favorable climate to
reside in. 1t has not always been the
great, level, driftcovered region 1T is
today but was once mountainous, which
condition has been overcome by the slow
and ceasless processes worked by nature
The geology of Minnesota shows that
in early times the glacier got in it's
work, which followed by the erosion of
rock and the transportation of material,
has left the state in relief and features
what it is today. The effects of the diff
ferent movements of nature are full of
interest and are undoubtedly permanent.
In the ice retreat many glacial lakes
We're formed and the largest and grandest
of these was Lake Agassiz. 1t extended
nOrthward to the icewall near Hudson
bay, to the west it spread over Manitoba,
county and its southern limit poured its
waters through Big Stone lake and down
the valley now occupied by the Minneso-
ia. Lake Agassiz lasted about a thou
sand years and through its departure it
has left in its bottom the greatest wheat
raising district on the face of the globe
This fertile soil was not accomplished in
a day but it took many years to develop
the Red River wheat fields. The forces
of nature have worked steadily in CO.
mingling the soil and the organic matter
and establishing the present depth of
rich loan.
In the disappearance of the glacial
ice lobe, a ridge was left across Nicollet
county from st. Peter to Fort Ridgley
which was followed as a road in days
gone by?
During the existence of Lake Agassiz
there existed also many other glacial
lakes smaller in size. The most inn
portant of these to this section was
Lake Undine, which covered Brown, Mic
collet, Watonwan, LIE Sueur and Blue
Earth counties, finding its outlet from its
northeastern corner. across Scott and
Rice counties. Working eastward the
waters of the lake cut channel still to
be seen past Waterville, Faribault,
Mortified and Cannon Falls into the
Mississippi river.
But the glacial lakes have gone and
farm lands with the interspersing lakes.
Once, no doubt, there were more than TO-
600 lakes in Minnesota and now there
are probably about one-ffth less and
in time to come the number will de- !
crease at a faster rate than we can i'm !,
agine.
Much Importance lies in the existence
of lakes, and that question IS and has,
for some period past, been discussed
both pro and con in Nicollet county.
Swan Lake, located about ten miles
from this city is lake located on an
elevated extent of land and is gradually
getting smaller One faction wants it to
be replenished by the pumping of water
into it, from artesian wells, while the |
other faction wants its water to be ,
drained into the Minnesota river. The r
advanced by the former is that
the lake is much needed, as it affects the
rainfall of the surrounding country
while the latter say by its drainage good
farm lands can be reclaimed. Prof. Hall
of the University of Minnesota has in
vestigated the matter and says that the
plan for the replenishing of water sup
ply is not feasible on account of the
altitude of the lake and that the latter
plan is not desirable on account of the :
scarcity of lakes in southern Min
nesota. 1t is much needed as long as !
nature lets it exist. His view of the.
matter seems very logical and undoubt- !