Ashland County, Ohio - Chapter 34: The Erection of Ashland Countv - Physical Features, 1880

7 he legislative act creating Ashland county was enacted February 24, 1846. It was formed of the territory qf Richland, Huron, Lorain, and Wayne counties. The fractional townships of Mifflin, Milton and Ciearcreek, and the full townships of Hanover, Green, Ver- | million, Montgomery and Orange, were from Richland county, while Rugglcs was from Huron, and Troy and ! Sullivan from Lorain, and the fractional townships of I Jackson. Perry, Mohican, and Lake from Wayne county. !

On the first Monday of April, 1846, the county-seat ! was located at Ashland, by a vote of the electors, the ! citizens of Ashland agreeing to donate suitable grounds, j and five thousand dollars to erect county buildings there- !

In 1847-48, the present jail was erected, by Ozias S. Kinney, architect, and cost the county about foe: teen thousand dollars. An old stone church, purchased on the site of the grounds selected for the erection of county buildings, was occupied some seven years as a court house. It stood about midway between the present court house a. id jail, and had been erected bv the Melh- I odist denomination. The new court house was com- 1 menced by Ozias S. Kinney, architect, in 1851. and j completed in 1S53; and cost the county about twenty j thousand dollars. The infirmary was erected b; Sylves ter Alger and George W. Uric, architects and builders, j in 1S49, and cost about four thousand dollars.

Geologically considered, Ashland county presents j evidence of having shown dr) land at a very remote period in the history of the globe. Her soils and hills are older than the carboniferous, or coal and limestone pe- 1 nods; and if ever either existed within the limits of this county, they were worn away by the glacial flow from the north; or, during the emptying of the great northern seas through the valleys of the Ohio Missr.sip] i m d the

How long this region may have been covered by the northern seas, will doubtless never be known by man, but that such seas enveloped this part of the globe lor an extended period of time, must be apparent to all careful observers. It is very probable that the great chain of lakes extending from northern New York to the Lake of the Woods, is but a remnant of the mighty sea that covered a large portion of the States of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The hypothesis, that during the "glacial period", huge mountains of ice were forced southward from high, northern regions, and in their advance, plowing deep valleys, and wrenching granite rocks from their position, and crushing, and roiling, and rounding them into boulders' by erosion, receives much strength, on careful examination. It is possible that during the "drift period" great quantities of what are called ''nigger-heads," - boulders, were carried by ice, thousands of miles, thawed out, and dropped in the position they are now found. These granite boulders are found scattered all over northern Ohio, in sizes ranging from three or four pounds, to tons in weight, gradually diminishing in size as they recede from the lake shore.

Further evidence of the existence of a great sea is found in the deposit of immense quantities c-f petrified shells, among the surface rubbish of the freestone formation. It is quite certain that these shells were deposited slowly, and that an immense period of time w as exhausted in their petrifaction. The freestone rocks are in strata ; and their beds range in thi kness from three to twent) feet. The sandstone formation crops out at a later period, Petrified shells are no: so frequently found above o' beneath the sandstone. The sandstone is found on the highest land east of Ashland, commencing at Roseberry's hill, and extending nearly south to Lake township. It is also found on the elevated tiaet ci land running from Milton, through Mifflin and Green townships, to Hanover. These stones are found in abundance, and form a useful and durable material for walls, bridges and buildings.

Ashland county contains an area of about four hum dred square miles. It is divided into two principal slopes, or water-sheds, by a range of upland, extendi: g in a northeast direction, across the south part of >. warcreek and the north part of Orange and Jackson townships ; thus forming a dividing r.dge, that separates the Heads of the streams flowing south to the Muskingum, and north to Lake Erie.

The streams on the south side of the dividing ridge, rising mostly from strong springs, flow in \ southern di ruction, until they form a junction with largei oms, out of the county. The streams south of the dividing ridge are: the Mack fork, fringing the western border o: V.l ton and Mini'll townships, ami p.msim acr< - ( . . . '.»!

Hanover ; the Jerome fork, rising in the uortuwt and northeast parts of Orange township, passes < \ ; M*>m gomerv. the western part of Y -' 1 ran and ic cam 1 1

I cu t of Lake, and joins the Black fork in Holmes county: the Muddy fork rises in the northeastern part of Jackson township, and nows in a southwesterly direction across Perry, into Mohican, and thence into the Lake fork. 1'hese streams are fed by a number of smaller ones - the Catotaway, Honey creek, and a branch o: two in Vermillion and Lake townships, and assume a considerable size before they form a junction with the Lake fork; and in early days were navigable for small flat-boats as high as Perrysvilie, Findlay's bridge, and Rochester mills. The uplands, south of the dividing ridge, slope gently to the south, presenting fine views for residences, and most desirable lands for agricultural purposes. At many points on the uplands, a landscape of eight to ten miles in circuit sweeps before the vision, giving as lovely a view as can be found elsewhere on the globe.

The range of lands on the western slope is composed of clay soil, second bottom loam, and rich alluvium along the streams, giving every variety of soil ; the same is the character of the soils in the middle and eastern ranges throughout the county, except in Hanover, where the upland is more rugged, the soil more sandy and less productive. The direction of the streams in that township is from the west, and though her hills antedate the carboniferous periods, they must have been elevated, like small islands, above the surface of the great sea, centuries before the region in and about Hayesville, Ashland, Savannah and Orange.

The Vermillion riser rises in the small lakes near Savannah, and is fed by numerous small rivulets and brooks on its winding way to Lake Erie. The Black river rises in the northern part of Sullivan township, and also empties into Lake Erie.

The townships north of the dividing ridge dip slightly towards the north, and possess a stiff clay soil, better adapted" to grazing than agricultural purposes, and many fine cattle are produced for the market by the farmers.

The lakes in Ashland countyare five in number. Two of these arc found a short distance southeast of Savannah, in a basin formed by the dividing ridge, and are fed by springs. The upper, and larger lake,- contains about one hundred and sixty acres, and the lower one, which has beet partially drained, about eighty acres. They contain many of the varieties of fishes usually found in the streams of. this State, and are of great depth, and evidently the remains of a much larger body of .water. They are often resorted to for the sport of fishing in canoes, and as a pastime for picnic parties.

'There are also three small lakes about two miles southwest of Mifflin. The larger one contains about fifty acres, the middle one about thirty, and the smaller one about ten. They constitute a sort of basin, and are fed by numerous springs. They abound in the same varieties of fishes found in the Vermillion lakes. These lakes were once the favorite resort of tire Indians for fishing purposes, and their bark canoes were often floated over the glassy surface of these hill hedged basins of water, known as tire "mimic kikes of Mifflin."

| are found. In the neighborhood of the Nelsons, in Miiton, is found one of extraordinary power, pouring forth a volume of water sufficiently large to turn a mill, if ptoperly directed. Near the residence of Mr. Copus, in Mifflin township, are also found several springs, throwing out copious quantities of pure, cool water. Many | sections of Green, Lake, and Mohican townships possess springs of great strength; and few counties in the State have a better supply of pure, sparkling, healthful water, j than this.

| black and white ash, cherry, beech, sugar, maple, hicki ory, chestnut, elm, and the usual undergrowth found in j other parts of the State. In Troy, Ruggles and Sullivan, on the northern slope, a few scattered poplars were j found in early days, but have been long since converted j into lumber.

Ashland county is exceedingly limited in its mineral productions. A few pieces of coal, and a little slate, found on the dividing ridge north of Ashland are ail the evidences of coal that are seen within its limits.* It is I believed that the county is totally deficient in limestone l and iron ore. Attempts have been made, in the deep j valleys of Hanover, to discover coal oil by boring; but j such attempts have been unsuccessful, so far.

If it be true, that the nature of the soil nearly always 1 determines the occupation of a people, the inhabitants J of this county, with but few exceptions, must pursue the | delightful and manly avocation of tilling the soil, raising j fine horses and cattle, and flocks of sheep, surrounded I by abundance, with homes blessed of God, and made j comfortable by industry, and -the fruits of toil.

Evidence exists on all sides that when the red man ! of the forest roamed unchecked over plain, and j hill, and along our lakes and streams the dappled deer in numerous groves, with the elk, the wild turkey and j ether game, marched up and down these wilds in na- ! tive freedom, disturbed only by the savage with his bow ! and arrow ; and long since with him, have traveled toj ward the setting sun. and ere long will be swept before j the remorseless march of the white man, into oblivion.