New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1914-05-20
Untold Wealth
UnderlieS City
WONDERFUL DEPOSITS OF Ora.
VEL AND SAND TO BE HAD
FOR ASKING.
NATURES HANDIWORK MARVEL
LOUSLY INTERESTING IN
OUR SOIL.

II l had two or three acres of your
New Ulm gravel near the cities wouldn't
do another days work., said Mr.. G. r..
Daley of the Union Machine Co. of St..
Paul to a Review reporter. Few people
realize what extensive and valuable
deposits of sand and gravel there are
here in New Ulm. The entire valley of
the Minnesota seems to be filled with a
deposite of the very finest gravel for
building purposes and with the rapid
growth Of the use of concrete the demand
for clean gravel is constantly increasing.
Gravel of this sort is worth from $1.50
to SITS per cubic yard. Moulding
sand, a very fine grade of sand which is
also found here in frequent pockets, is
worth as high as $500 per cubic yard in
the iron industry.
But aside from the actual money
value Of these deposits it is interesting
to know how this section happens to
have such large amount while other
sections are entirely devoid of gravel.
OF course everyone knows in general
way that gravel and sand are composed
of rock and that water has played an
important part in the breaking up of
big rocks into smaller particles and in
the rounding off of the sharp corners.
So the formation of these deposits began
some time ago--even before the Indian
outbreak. Biologists tell us that the
average rate at which streams wear down
sssbeds in the United States is one
inch i'm every $50 years. If one stops
ito consider the present depth of the
Minnesota valley one may perhaps form
some vague idea of the length of time it
has taken to make these deposits by the
slow erosion and crumbling of the banks
of the stream. Even the oldest settler
would have bad time recalling the time
when all the Minnesota valley, or at
least the section above where New Ulm
stands today, was on the level, was in
fact higher than the Redstone bluffs
To get even the faintest idea of the
situation at that time one must consult
the biologists.
The geologist gets his information
by studying the formation of the rocks
and the gravel and sand beds. By their
qualification he can tellsat glance the
early history of a country, the con-
ditions under which the soil was deposited
and the mighty forces at work to aid
Nature. And seldom has he a palmer
book to read from or clearer records to
follow than in the locality of New Ulm.
He knows that the present site of New
Ulm once had an elevation of several
hundred feet higher than now. For by
going to the records written in changeless
stone on the Red-stone bluffs he can see
that water once flowed over their tops
and deeply pitted the solid rock as it
fell. Now water couldn't run up hill
even in the days before Newton dis
covered the laws Of gravity. Hence it
is clear that it must have come from
land or rock beds of a greater elevation.
And such was undoubtedly the case.
But the water found minute crevice
in the face OF this bed OF rock. A certain
strata was softer than the rest and slowly
wasted away. Gradually this crevice
deepened and finally it contained the
embryo of what was in future aeons to
be the Minnesota River. Another little
crevice joined it which was the beginning
Of the Cottonwood River. And gradu-
ally thru the countless ages these streams
tdeepened their courses and cut away
their banks till the broad valley of a
great river was formed. Then for ages
longer the now mighty river meandered
thru its widened bed choosing now one
channel, now another as the whim
struck it. Checked in its turbulent
course for time by the hard rampant
of the Red-stone bluffs mo doubt much
higher at that time-it formed a sandbar
on the site of the present city of New
Ulm. Here the particles Of sand and
rock from higher up We're deposited and
hence the sand and gravel which will
mean SO much to the city prosperity
in the future.
BY a close study Of the various stratas
of clay, sand and gravel it is clear that
as these deposits Of the river continued
an island was slowly formed. Then
the river took to the southern part Of
the valley and behaved soberly for
many years. But floods came and the
river again left its bed and worked to