Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1922-07-26
EDITORS TO TRAVEL OVER
STATES SCENIC PORTION
State GeOlOgist Tells OF the Various
Formations Over Which They
viii Travel.

VIII Travel.
State GeoIogist, W. o. Hotchkiss,
has prepared the following descrlp-
ton of the region covered by the an
! nual tour of the Wisconsin Press AS
ISOLATION, August to Z.
The meeting place, Kilbourn, ex-
hibits the most famous scenic feature
of the state-the Dells of the Wlscon-
sin, a main narrow gorge and small
! tributary gorges cut in the relatively
| soft Cambrian sandstone since the
glacial period.
| The time the river took for this
work is estimated at approximately
| So 900 years. Before the glaciers
| came to this region the course OF the
river was probably nearly direct
| line from Stevens Point to the Lower
Narrows of the Baraboo river and
through the gorge at Devils Lake.
The glaciers buried this old chan
mel with clay and damned the river
so it made a great shallow lake that
extended from Baraboo to Wisconsin
Rapids and from Friendship to To-
nah. It's outlet was through the
Black river. When the great glaciers
melted back the Wisconsin found a
new channel at the Dells and slowly
carved the intricate features now
seen.
At Devils Lake gorge the ice sheet
had nearly spent its power, and was
split by the high bluff on the quartzite
range.
Contains Iron Ore.
The rocks of the Baraboo Ranges
are ouartzite of Huronian age-once
sand on a sea bottom, then slowly
cemented with silica Carried in So
| luton in water) so that the sand
grains are so solidly bound together
that a fracture breaks right through
them. On account of it's appearance
| it is no wonder that many tourists
think this lake bed an old volcanic
crater. but there is no evidence OF
anv such origin. The maximum
depth Of the lake is about 40 feet.
About mile and half west OF
Baraboo you cross the terminal NOR
aine ridge of the glacier and the rest
of your trip is in the Driftless Area,
until you get nearly back to Madison.
Rivals the Berkshire Hills.
From Wonewoc the trip is in the
western Upland"-pp hill and down
dale This part Of the state has been
compared to the famed Berkshire
Hills of Massachusetts, but those that
have seen both say the Wisconsin
Rerkshires' are more beautiful.
CAMPING the highest hills on the
route from Wonewoc to La crosse is
the hard lower Magnetism dolomlte
which lies on top OF the Cambrlan
sandstones. West of Hillsboro you
go around the shoulder OF Wlldcat
Mountain which has a cap OF this DOL
omite. Looking west from the ROAD
crest you behold the valley OF the
Kickapoo river-and some OF the
toughest topography in the state.
Mississippi Gorge Famous.
Down into the valley at Cashton,
up on the broad, fertile Magnetism
dolomite ridge at st. Joseph's church,
then down about 500 feet and you
are at La Crosse and in the beautiful
Mississippi gorge. This gorge is hem-
med in by Cambrian sandstone cllHs
capped with the doIomlte-here quar-
ried for roads and streets and Tor
river improvement work.
South from La Crosse the route is
through the fertile "cOulees" as the
broad bottomed valleys are called To-
, cally-Mormon Coulee, once occu-
!, pied by Mormons, being the first one
south Of La Crosse.
Sandstone Towers Seen.
AS you go south the top of the
Cambrian sandstone gets closed 10
, river level so that at Prairie du Chlen
J only a few feet project above. High
err formations. appear on the top OF
! the ridges. From Viroqua to Seneca
t the ridge top on which you travel is
} st. Peter sandstone-the same for
nation that furnishes the glass SAND
= in northern Illinois. This sandstone
5 lies on top of the Lower Magnetism
dolomite.
At Prairie du Chen the lower
Magnetism dolomite makes a sheer
cliff along the bluffs. Above 1t the
t softer rocks make rounding ridges
| The rich soils of this whole Mlssls-
sippi region are largely "loess
: ceedingly fine grained material car
l ried there as dust in ages past by the
prevailing westerly winds. A pecu-
} liarity OF this loess is its capacity to
| stand in high vertical walls where
; road cuts have been made.
t Noted Blue Grass Country.
From Prairie du Chen to Madison
the country is more gently rolling
The valley sides are not so steep nor
, the ridge tops so narrow as along the
: rad from Hillsboro to La Crosse
This is due to the fact that these val
leys have all been cut in limestone,
and the limestone does not erode so
easily as the Cambrian sandstones to
t the north. The limestone region OF
: Grant, Lafayette and Iowa counties
} ic a c10sa cOuntprnart in character to
! the Blue Grass region of Kentucky.