The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1905-03-29
BIOLOGISTS STUDY
RED RIVER VALLEY
Survey Is Getting Out a Folio
on Soils and Water
Supply
Globe Special Washington Service

=
logical survey has been doing some work
In the Fargo region of the Red River val
icy similar in character TO that which was
described In these dispatches few days
ago as having been carried on by the bu
feau of soils of the agricultural depart
ment The area under consideration is of
special Importance. as ii represents a
typical section across the famous valley
of the Red river. including a small ex-
tent of prairie upland on the west. The
Casselton and Fargo quadrangles embrace
portions of Cass. Richland and Ransom
counties, North Dakota. and Clay and
wilkins counties, Minnesota. Each
quadrangle is about 3i1z miles long from
north to south and a little less than "a
miles wide from east to west. and to-
gether they have an area of about 1,640
square miles.
The water resources of this area make
1t especially worthy OF study II includes
the eastern margin of the cretaceous
artesfan basin, where the water bearing
formations rise to within 200 to 300 feet
of the surface. and yield supplies to nu-
merous flowing wells 1t exhibits also
the characteristic features Of the quater-
nary Srtesian well areas so frequently
found within the cretaceous basin in the
Red river valley. Within it are also
found water horizons that yield only
tubular or dug wells. and that consti-
tute the only source of water supply over
large part of eastern North Dakota and
western Minnesota. The description of
these water resources applies to a. large
extent to the entire area from Bigstone
lake to the international boundary line.
Topography Is Simple
During the latter part Of the glacial
epoch the Red river valley was a lake.
which has been called the Glacial Lake
Agassiz. The topography of the region is
therefore exceedingly simple. o-thirds
OF 1t. being level plain. The, general alti
above tide. The highest part of the area
discussed Is in the northwest corner of
the Casselton quadrangle. where the ele
walton is 200 feet. The drainage of these
quadrangles is accomplished by Red river
and its tributaries-the Buffalo on the
east and the Wild Rice, Sheyenne and
After describing the general geology of
the area. Charles NJ. Hall and Daniel f.
willard. the authors of folio about to be
published by the survey. discuss its soils
and water supply. which are its chief
economic resources.
Probably there are few regions in the
world in which the soil is more fertile than
i'm the Red river valley. The soil con-
sists of very fine rock flour. ground and
pulverized by the great ice sheet and de-
posted in Lake Agassiz. This rock pow
der is known as lacustrine silt. Upon the
level bottoms are tracts of very compact
and heavy soil. varying in area from a
few square yards TO a few square miles
and known as gumbo spots" Owing to
Its tendency to bake into hard blocks and
its impermeabiity to water which rem
ders drainage difficult and frequently
causes accumulation of alkaline salts. the
gumbo areas are not desirable for farming
purposes. Along the rivers, beyond the
area of the Sheyenne delta. is a mantle
of river alluvium that rests upon the
original fine lake sediments. This has
thickness of several feet at the river
banks and Trims to an attenuated sheet at
some distance from the streams. These
alluvial soils are. among the most -produc-
tive OF the region.
Size Up the AIkaII
The study of alkali in the soil is of
great Importance i'm this area. as in all
the adjacent portions of North Dakota
alkaline salts in the soil become a min
drance to agriculture Low places to-
ward which the surface drainage flows
and from which the waters can not es-
cape become In time what are known as
alkali spots, and are wholly unproduc-
tive. On the other hand, the alkaline and
other mineral salts in,f the sell when
greatly TO the productiveness Of the land,
as they furnish necessary plant food.
The problem of an adequate water sup
ply Is of great importance in this area.
The largest streams are never dry and
the smaller only during dry seasons. but
owing to the level charactersof the region
ing summer. and the water which re-
ceives organic matter from the river
banks, is not at all suitable for household
purposes. Outside the cities of Fargo and
Moorhead fully nine-tenths Of the. popula-
ton is dependent upon wells for water
supply for all purposes. The shallow or
seepage wells, the bored or tubular pump
wells, and the artesian wells of the region
are all described in the folio. The rec
ords of over 100 wells in the Casselton and
Fargo quadrangles are tabulated The
folio contains Topographic, maps of % the
two quadrangles. as well as maps made
by Messrs. Hall, and Wilder, under. the
direction of N. II. barton. representing
the areal geology and the artesian waters
of the region Waller L Clark