The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1915-03-09
TELLS OF BELTRAh.'
COUNTY CONDITIONS
Minnesota Geological Survey De.
scribes Soils, Clays and Agricul-
tural Features of This Section.
LAND AREA 1922 SQUARE MILES
Refers to Prosperous Farming Settle
ments-Speaks Of Fertility and
Certain Development.

In the report which has just been
issued by the Minnesota geological
survey concerning the surface for
nations and agricultural conditions
of northwestern Minnesota an inter-
esting story of Beltrami county is
told as follows:
Beltrami county extends from the
Lake of the Woods southwark past
Red Lake to the line of Hubbard
county. The south boundary is about
100 miles from the southernmost
point on Lake of the Woods. There
is also a small detached area known
as the Northwest Angle lying west
of Lake of the Woods whose north
ernmost point is about 1876 miles from
the Hubbard county line In it's
widest part the county embraces nine
ranges of townships or 81 miles. The
census Of 1910 gives the county an
area of 1892 square miles. This evil
IDENTIFY does not include Red Lake and
probably does not include the small
lakes inside the county. The total
area OF Red Lake is 440 square miles,
of which 4OS square miles fall with
in the townships and ranges embraced
in Beltrami county. The small lakes
embrace about 100 square miles.
The sum of the sections and parts
Of sections outside of Red Lake is g.
924 square miles. If 1O2 square miles
are allowed for the small lakes, the
land area is reduced to what is given
by the census report, or 1892 square
miles. In the estimates of percent
ages given below it has been found
necessary to include the small lakes
as has been done in other counties,
not only for the sake of uniformity,
but also because it is not possible in
some cases to draw the line between
lake and swamp. The lakes and
sWamps are according grouped to-
gether, and the percentages are esti-
mated on the basis of an area Of g..
924 square miles.
Glacial Lake Agassiz.
The greater part of Beltrami coun-
ty lies within the limits of the glacial
Lake Agassiz, whose southern shore
passes along the south side of Red
Lake. AS already noted, it was once
supposed that a part of Beltra>ni
county north of Red Lake stood above
the level Of Lake Agassiz and was
called Beltrami Island The highest
points in that district, however, have
bars Of sandy gravel on them formed
by Lake Agassiz. A considerable
part of the bed of Lake Agassiz with
in the limits of Beltrami county is
still a muskeg swamp which can be
Travelled only with great difficulty ex-
cept when frozen. Through the heroic
efforts of Mr.. Meade and his party of
surveyors it was traversed sufficient
ly to obtain data necessary to con-
struct the topographic and drainage
map which accompanies House Docu-
ment 27 Of the Sixty-first congress,
first session. Mr.. Meade has also
kindly furnished such information as
he had gained concerning the char
acter of the soil of the small islands
that rise here and there above the
level of the muskeg. Information con-
corning the soil on some of the ISL
ands has been obtained from A. f.
Mcdonnell, of Baudette, who had
made timber estimates on them for
lumber companies and who was the
present writer's guide over parts If
the district. The data are thus such
as were noted incidentally in the
course of other Investigations and
should be read with this understand
ing. AS far out as settlements have
reached, the present writer gave the
soil personal examination.
Northwest Angle.
Data concerning soils on the
Northwest Angle were obtained from
E. G. Barnard of the United States
Coast and Geodetic Survey, who was
in charge of the survey along the
boundary between Minnesota and
Manitoba in 1912 and 1913. Data
on islands in Lake of the Woods
were kindly supplied by A. w. John
ston Of the Geological Survey of Can.
ada who cruised among them ant
studied their geology in the summer
of 1913. Mr.. Johnston also supplied
notes concerning the occurrence of lake
clay over glacial deposits along the
shore of Lake of the Woods and il
the bluffs of Rainy river in this
county. .<
The district south of Red Lake
stands above the level of Lake Agas-
siz, and here roads are.few and much
of the land is still in forest It was
u. L. L. IL ..1l,