Putnam County, Ohio - Topography and Geology, 1915

The topography of the land embraced within the county of Putnam is different in some respects from that of the other counties in this part of the state. Although it is uniformly flat, its numerous rivers and streams afford excellent drainage, while a complex system of artificial drainage has brought practically all of the county under cultivation. The rivers and streams are bordered in many cases with high bluffs on one side or the other and these elevations serve to^ break the monotony of the prairies.

Most of the soil of the county is alluvial in formation and is, in many cases, composed of muck, which, in some townships, is mixed with sand and, in others, with clay. The soil is generally very prolific of all kinds of agricultural products pecvtliar to this section of Ohio, and in very few instances is it necessary to use fertilizers in order to secure excellent crops. In many places in the county the land was once covered with water and dense aquatic vegetation. Such land has been termed muck land and, after being well drained, makes very productive soil. Early in the history of the county much of the land was covered with swamps and it was many years before the county was brought to its present high state of cultivation.

At the present time about all the land of the county which is not under cultivation is in the beds of the rivers and streams and in that which makes up the public highways. Most of the first settlers located along the streams, not only because they afforded an easy access to the outside world, but also because the land bordering them was easier to cultivate. During the past half century thousands of miles of ditches have been put into operation within the county and the once impenetrable swamps now comprise as fine farming land as may be found in any part of the United States.

Throughout the county, moraines, or ridges of earth higher than the adjacent land, are found in abundance. These moraines are composed of sand and are covered with an alluvial soil, which is black in appearance, but frequently heavily mixed with clay. These moraines are supposed to have been formed during the glacial period by the receding waters of the lake, which, geologists claim, covered the entire northwestern part of Ohio. As this

The various rivers and creeks throughout the county have a trend toward the north and all drainage of the county eventually finds its way inta the Maumee river. The several streams of the county may be briefly mentioned as follows :

The Auglaize river, or All Glaise or Gaud Glaise, is one of the largest tributaries of the Maumee river. With its many tributaries, the Auglaize drains the greater part of the county. The name of the river betrays its French origin and may be traced back to the time of the occupancy by that nation.

The Ottawa river, familiarly known as Hog creek, was named in honor of the Ottawa Indians who formerly lived within the present limits of this county. The- name. Hog creek, seems to have been applied as the result of an interesting incident which happened many years ago. In the Putnam county history by George Skinner, the author explains the origin of the name Hog creek as follows: "While the English had possession of Fort iMiami in the Maumee river, parties on that river undertook to supply them with pork. In driving a lot of hogs to the fort they were compelled to cross the Ottawa river, which, at that particular time, was unfortunately very high. The men driving the hogs became frightened at the hostile demonstrations of some Indians whom they encountered along the Ottawa, and, evidently thinking that the Indians were about to attempt to capture some of the hogs, drove part of the porkers into the river. Some of the hogs reached the other side safely, others swam back to the shore from which they started, while still others were drowned in the river. The owners finally abandoned the hogs to their fate, returned home, and from that day forward the Ottawa river has often been called Hog creek."

Blanchard river was formerly known as the North Fork of the Auglaize. It was renamed the Blanchard in honor of a man by that name who is said to have been the first white man to have traded with the Indians up and down the river. He bought their furs and other articles which they had to dispose of and in return doled out to the savages meager portions of powder, beads and such trinkets as were usually handled by the early traders.

Sugar creek derives its name from the fact that in its early history its banks were lined with sugar maple trees. The Indians were wont to repair to the banks of this beautiful little stream every spring for the purpose of making maple sugar, and, after the Indians left, the white men made good use of the many thousands of trees along the river bank.

Riley creek was originally called Deer creek, from the fact that deer abounded in great numbers along its banks in the early history of the county. It was a favorite hunting ground for the Indians, who knew it as Deer creek long before the white man ever saw it. The surveyors who worked in this county in 1820 designated it as Deer creek. The name Riley was applied to the creek in later years, in honor of James Watson Riley, one of the early surveyors of Putnam county. The story is handed down through the years that Riley once nearly lost his life in trying to ford the creek and did actually lose his surveying instruments. His tripod was never found and it is doubtless resting quietly in the bottom of the stream to this day.

Jennings creek received its name in honor of Colonel Jennings, who, in 1812, built a stockade on the Auglaize where the prosperous little village of Ft. Jennings now stands. This same sterling old pioneer left his name on the township in which the town of Ft. Jennings is situated.

Plum creek, as the name indicates, was so named because of the abundance of plum trees which formerly grew along its banks. Fruit of any kind was very scarce in the early days and a wild plum was much better than no plum at all. The Indians were fond of this fruit and every fall visited the creek in order to feast on the delicacy.

Leatherwood creek was named by some of the early surveyors from the fact that its banks were lined with this bush. The pioneers had occasion to resort to the banks of Leatherwood creek frequently for their harness equipment. The tough bark of this bush made an excellent substitute for leather and many an acre of Putnam county land has been plowed the first time by teams using leatherwood harness.

Cranberry creek derived its name from the bush of that name. The succulent cranberry once grew in profusion along the banks of this creek, but has long since disappeared, with the beaver, its best friend.

Putnam county is pre-eminently an agricultural county and finds its greatest wealth in its thousands of fertile acres. While the greater portion of the county is a black loam, there are parts of the county where there are fine clay deposits. As a result there are found many tile and brick factories in the county and the swampy character of the county has made the tile industry a very profitable one.

In Sugar Creek and Pleasant .townships there is a small deposit of yellow clay, but not enough to make it of any commercial value. Throughout the county there are numerous springs of white sulphur, yellow sulphur and limestone water. The medicinal qualities of some of these springs make them of undoubted therapeutic value and in the coming years some enterprising man will find a fortune in this medicine prepared by Dame Nature.

In almost every township in the county wells have been driven for oil and gas, but, while both have been found in limited quantities, the yield has not been sufficient to make the operation of wells a profitable venture.