Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1915-04-02
III-Work of the Glaciers

Along the front OF the lce-felds,
whenever the glaciers temporarily
halted, great quantities of drift were
piled up into ridges, knolls, and hills,
forming belts of rough lands called
terminal moraines. These ridges and
hills commonly range from 25 to IS feet
in height. But they occasionally attain
much greater attitudes, as in the Leaf
Hills Of Ottertail county, which rise
from 100 to $50 feet above the sur
rounding country. Most Of the rough
lands in the state, and most Of the hills,
except in the northeastern and south
eastern corners, had their origin in
glacial times. They are terminal mo-
raines Of the Great Ice Age.
On the whole, glaciation benefited
Minnesota. Hills were worn down and
valleys filed; and, although the sur
face was rounghened here and there by
moranic hills and ridges, the general
level of the state was made somewhat
more uniform. Thus the arabic acreage
was increased, and the construction Of
wagon-roads and railroads made easier.
Bed rock was left exposed in places to
furnish valuable building stones. Clay,
sand, and gravel were deposited for the
manufacture Of brick, tile, and con-
crete. Hundreds of waterfalls and
thousands Of lakes were formed, Civ
ing water power and scenic beauty
Extensive swamp lands were left to
furnish reservoirs for rain water and to
help regulate stream flow. Likewise,
the great mantle Of drift itself served
as vast reservoir, absorbing and hold
ing the rain water for the gradual sup
ply of wells and springs. And lastly,
Fand most important Of all, the soils Of
Minnesota were diversified, d>epened,
and enriched.
Brought Freight Of Fertility
When the ice fields crossed Manitoba
Antario, and Wisconsin, they picked
up the soils, rocks, and minerals Of
those regions and transported them in
to Minnesota, thus aiding great GUAM
titles and varieties Of mineral plant
foods to lands already rich in soil fer
tility. Instead or originating from any
single kind Of rock, Minnesota s soils
were made by the pulverizing Of a
great variety Of rocks. This is the rea
son why the farm lands Of Minnesota
are unsurpassed in fertility by those
Of any other state or country in the
world.
In the extreme southeastern portion
Of the state, especially in Houston,
Fillmore and Winona counties, there
lies beautiful and picturesque region
cut by numerous deep valleys with
winding streams, steep rock, bluffs,
and turreted cliffs. This is a part of
the Driftless Area, so called because it
was left untouched by the ice fields of
the glacial period. Here the prevail
ing soil is ciayey loan. light yellow
or rusty in color, and consisting Of fine
dust-like particles. This is loose loan
Of great fertility whose origin has not
been definitely determined. Tt may
have been rock-hour manufactured
by the glacial grinding ard Distributed
by the winds Of those times over the
adjacent driftless region.
Ancient Lake Agassiz
In the Red River valley lies the
great lake-bottom plain Of ancient
Lake Agassiz. Towards the close OF
the glacial period, about ten thousand
years ago, the retreating ice field
served as dam across the valley and
blocked the northward drainage Of the
streams. As the ice wall retreated to
the north, the lake increased in size
until finally it found an open outlet in
to Hundson bay. It was truly great
lake, since it's area, 10000 square
miles, exceeds the combined areas Of
the five Great Lakes Of the St. Law
renee system Of today.
At first, Lake Agassiz overfowed the
divide at the southern end Of Lake
Traverse and discharged it's waters
through the present valley of the Min
nesota. The river of that time has
been called the glacial River Warren.
It was powerful stream of great vol
ume, and it widened and deepened it's
bed and made room for the fertile,
flood plains for which the Minnesota
River valley of today is noted.
Gradually and by stages, first the
southern outlet at Browns Valley and
later the northern outlet into Hudson
Bay cut themselves deeper, and the
lake waters sank from level to level.
At each halt, beaches were formed by
the shore currents and by the waves
breaking against the land. These
beaches are today rounded ridges of
gravel and sand, a few feet high and
about two rods wide, extending great
of the lake. They furnish slightly To-
! caClOnS Tor many farm homes, and give
to farmers dry cellars and good wells
of pure water. Th.y likewise furnish
excellent road beds for some of the
states best highways.
Lake Bed Worlds Bread Basket
Large quantities of silt and soil were
washed into Lake Agassiz from the
melting glaciers. These materials were
assorted and distributed by the waters
of the lake and were deposited in it's
bed. Later, when the lake 8 waters
had subsided, luxuriant grasses cover,
ed the former lake bed, and, in time,
furnished food for countless herds of