Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1925-06-17

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IN the form of sheer precipices, at
others the isolated bluffs stand like
giant sentinels guarding the Father
Of Waters.
The whole gorge Stimulates, al
though on a vaster scale, the seem
cry of the Rhine valley, even to the
little villages clinging to the base
of the overshadowing bluffs. Giant
ruined castles with turrets and
towers and bastions and battle
ments and all the other details
that mark a medieval fortress are
there, carved by age long erosion
from the rocks of the hill tops.
Peaks Cut the Skyline.
East of this western upland lies
the great central plain which oc-
cupies a portion of seven counties.
This plain is characterized by fiat
or very slightly rolling land, with
sandy and sandy-loam soils, with
numerous broad marshes and slug
gish streams.
The outstanding features of the
central plain are the abrupt walled
stone castles, such as are seen
about Camp Douglas and farther
east bearing such. names as Peten-
well Peak or Roche A Cris-the last
remnants of the great sandstone
formations that once covered this
great area and still form the main
mass of the uplands to the west.
These towering structures rise
hundreds Of feet sheer out of the
plain and might have been fash
Toned by some Titan as his fortress
home. Pentenwell Peak lies along
the Wisconsin River, castellated
mass of sandstone which, seen at a
distance, might be mistaken for
some ancient ruin dropped into the
heart of Wisconsin.
Other crags rise as solitary tow
ers, their white lines pinnacled
against the flat surrounding coun-
try, making a strange and I'M
unusual impression upon the OBJ
server when he sees them project
| ing steeply from the fiat lowland.
The western upland and the cen
trail plain comprise the non-glaci-
ated part of the state, the south
west quarter. In area it is about
2l0 miles north and south and 100
miles east and west. This drift
less area, is world famous because
it is completely surrounded by gla-
ciated territory. There is no sim
liar region left bare OF the glacial
ice in the territory covered by the
continental ice sheets of North
America and Europe
Carved by Great Glaciers.
| The story Of the surface of the
eastern and northern parts Of Wis
consin is the story of the work of
the great continental glacier which
advanced from Canada part Of
the great planetary drama wrought
out in the ancient epochs when
mankind was just beginning to
take possession of the earth.
The ice sheet found before it a
country with a surface like the
present western upland and central
plain of the unglaciated area. In
its slow advance the all-embracing
ice proceeded to mold the condi-
tions more to it's liking. Like a
great milestone it ground off the
| hilltops and filled the valleys. 1t
bore along with it from its north
ern home, and from the areas over
which it spread, a mass of powders
and soil which it used to level up
the rough areas in it's path.
Along with these materials it
brought large quantities of native
copper from Canada and northern
Michigan, sometimes in chunks
several hundred pounds in weight.
1t scattered the pieces so widely
that it was a common source of
material for weapons and nipple
ments for the Indians. These cop
per spearheads, knives and other
utensils of the Wisconsin tribes
were much priced, and Indian trade
channels distributed them to tribes
far distant. Probably half of the
known copper relics of this kind
have been found in this state.
Not even a master artist could
have improved the beauty of Wis
cOnsin. The naturalness and the
charm of the state is due to large
extent to the glaciers that swept
Wisconsin centuries ago. Next
week HOtchkiss and Cannon will
continue with the third instaIIment
of this know Wisconsin Better"
series.)
Tap Large Timber Holdings.
Dlooc fO,. III. 1ccrrri,,1 =. D,,ora+, 49,