Seneca County, Ohio - Chapter 15, 1880

SANDUSKY RIVER -THE WOLF CREEKS SILVER CREEK - HONEY CREEK ROCKY CREEK SPICER CREEK - MORRISON CREEK-SUGAR CREEK-GENERAL DRAINAGE TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY OF THE COUNTY.

It requires a mind learned in the science of geology to enable a person to speak intelligently on the subject. Fully conscious of his inability in that respect, the writer has drawn largely upon the "Report of the Geological Survey ot Ohio," made under a law passed by the General Assembly of Ohio, in March. 1869. by which the Governor of Ohio was authori/ed, by and with the advice of the Senate, to appoint a ( hiet geologist, and one or more assistants, not exceeding three in number, who were to constitute a geological corps, and whose duty was to make a complete and thorough geological, agricultural and mineral- "gical survey of each and every county in the state. The >e< ond ^ection of said act defines the object ot said survey, vi/: To ascertain the geological structure of the state, including the dip. magnitude, 'lumber, order and relative position ot the several strata, their richness in coals, clays, ores, mineral waters and manures, building stone and "ther useful material. To ^ecurc accurate chemical analyses ot the -oils, etc. To ascertain the local causes thai prodm e variation.-. <M i 1 1 mate ;u the- th Herein M.-< lions o| tin.1 'ires, soil-., fossils, oranic rema into Seneca, where it keeps on its course alon.LC the eastern tier of >ections in Seneca township, and enters section 36 in Hopewell; taking a straight northward direction, it turns northeastwardly and enters section K> in Clinton, passes through Tiftin. runs through sections 17. i) and s in Clinton, enters section ^j in Pleasant, where it makes many turns in all directions, and finally leaves the county in the northeast corner of section ^ in Pleasant.

The various branches of \Volf creek start near the southern line of the count), west ot the river. the eastern branch running almost par alel with the river throughout the count}'. A short distance north of the north line ot Seneca count}' the several branches ot \Voll < reek unite, and. taking a short turn eastwardly. immediately enter the river. There seems to be a water shed all alon.u the east line ot the count} of Seneca that sends its waters westward into the Sandusky. Hone} creek and Rock}' creek both run in a westerly direction about twelve miles, without taking into account their meanderin^s. when the}' run -.outhwest about six miles, then turn northwest, and in that direction enter the river. Ilonev creek takes up Silver creek near the northeast corner of section 24111 Kden, from an easterly direction, and enters the Sandusky in section ^d in llo]>ewell. Rocky (reek enters the river at Tiftin in section i<;. in ('lintoii: Willow creek and Morrison creek llow into the Sandusky in section 17. in Clinton: Spicer creek mouths into tile Sandusk}' in section ^S in Pleasant, and Su^ar creek in section _"_' of tlie same townshi]). In this township two >mall brooks --rain water creeks --each about one mile Ion:,', enter the river trom the let! bank. Six creeks enter the river from the east, within fifteen miles irom the ii,:-e line. Thus i; is seen that Seneca county is \\ell watered.

This peculiarity in the southern bends o! boih Ilonev creek and kot k \ creek is in it con lined i o this county, and ma v be due to the halt - :;:_: retreat of the -lacier. when ihrouin- do\\u the unmodified drill

!'.ig Spring township, the whole country is in a tillable ci Hence, it is settled with a class of intelligent and prosperous farmers, who keep the land generally under constant cultivation. The original forest, which is now to a great extent removed, embraced the usual variety of oak. hickorv, beech, maple, elm. ash. poplar and walnut.

The rocks that underlie the county have a general dip towards the east. Hence, the Niagara limestone, in the western portion of the county, is succeeded by the higher formations in regular order in traveling east. They are the water limestone, the Onskanv sandstone, the Lower (.'ornitenms. the I'ppcr Corniferous. the Hamilton shale. and the Huron shale, or black slade. The eastern boundary ot the Niagara enters the counlv a littk' east of (Ireen Spring, in a southwesterly direction, and crossing the Sandusky river at Tittin. it turns westward nearly to the center of Hopewell township, where it again turns southwest. and leaves the county at Adrian. All west "I this lineis underlain by the Niagara, which is not divided into two belts, as in Sandiiskv and Ottawa counties. The strip of the waterlime which separates it in those counties, probably just indents the northern line ot the count}' in 1'leasant, township. The outcropping edge ot the I'pper ('orniferous is the only other geological boundary that can be dehmtcly located. Those on either side are so obscured by the drill. that their located positions on the map must be regarded as conjectured. In general, however, the waterlime underlies a strip along the eastern side o! the Niagara area, about live miles in width on the north, but widening to nine miles on the south. The Lower ("orniferous underlies the western part ol I '.loom and Scipio townships, and the eastern part oi Adams. The I pper ('orniferous occupies the most ol Thompson and Keed townships, the western portion of Venice, and the eastern portion of Illoom and Scipio. The Hamilton and the I'.lack shale have i)i>t been seen in out < rop in the < oiintv. but arc bebe\ed to underlie a small area in ttie southeastern portion oi the county. The I'.lack shah mas' 1 -cell in the valley of Slate Run. Norwich town-hip, in Huron

- '<' si-rtioii />. in a little creek. No dip discoverable. In section i'1 " i ' ridge is crossed, and slightly excavated by the railroad. ( e!it so gentle the grade rises over it. N. \V. ;_( of section on tliis exposure will show the undulations in the' dip of the beds, and the manner of the oceurrenre of the tossiliferous beds, which have by some been regarded as a distinct member of the I'pper Silurian al>ove the Niagara. They make. here, a sudden appearance within the formation. ha\ ing hori/ontai continuity with the more usual hard. gray, and thick- bedded Niagara, which contains fewer fossil remains.

A>cending the river from section 21). in Pleasant township, glacial furrows. S. 44 \\ '.. the dips of the Niagara were observed, together with the water lime formations to some distance southwest of Tiffin, varying iron; three to eighteen feet in all directions, and resulted thus:

From this it appears that the Niagara limestone, especially the uppermost, fifty-live feet. is. in general, a gray crystalline, rather finegrained, compact, or slightly visicular and unfossililerous mass: and that the fossiliferous parts are rough and visicular, of a light butt color, apt to crumble under the weather, and not horizontally continuous.

The green shale, which in Sandusky county represents the Salina, has nowhere been seen in Seneca count}'. The only place within the county where the junction of the Niagara and waterlime has been observed, is in the quarries at Tiffin, within the corporate limits. A few rods above the iron bridge on Washington street, a quarry has been opened in the left bank of the Sandusky which may be designated as quarry No. i. The Niagara shows in a broad surface exposure, over whirl) the river spreads, except in its lowest stage. The quarry has not penetrated it. but the overlying water lime beds have been stripped off, showing a se< iion of 12 feet in their beds, belonging to phase No. 3. This lies conformablv on the Niagara, so tar as can be seen, the separating siirfa< e presenting no unusual flexures or irregularities. The only trai e of the >alina is in the tendency of the color and texture of the Niagara toward-* those of the water lime, visible through its last

The Lower Corniferous has been observed in the following places: S. \V. ;_ of section i. Kdcn township. Along the bed of a little creek, tributary to Rocky creek, a magnesian, buff, granular limestone is exposed. It has no jossils. so tar as can be seen in the meager outcrops. It is also >een in the banks along the creek, on the farm of Mr. Ferguson. It was tormeriv (married, to a limited extent, and used for rough walls. It is rather sott at first, but is i-.aid to become harder when the water is dried out. There is no dip discoverable.

N. \V. >_, of section JD. I'.loom township. In the right bank of Silver (reek there is an exposure of higher beds of the Lower Corniferous. as tolli >ws. in nil above :

No. i - In beds of two to six inches; buff and dark buff, magnesian : very slightly fossil iferous; some hard ami crystalline. some sott and spongy. These edges do not appear to be slaty. They have been long weathered and lie loose. This is near the junction oi the Lower and I pperCorniien nis. io it.

No. 2 - Magnesian ; rather hard: crystalline: non-fossiliferous: buff when dry: line grained: banded with darker buff, or with brown when in thicker beds. Ileds '- inch to ;r

Lying nearly hori/oiital five or s;\ rods, at the east er.d ot the blulf the bed- diji cast and di-appcar. A little west ot this exposure the magncsian. non-fossiliferous, thick -bedded characters ot the Lower Corniferous may be seen in the bed of the creek. Lightecn or twenty rods to the east, the features and loss i Is ot the I ppd' ( 'ornilen >us appear in an old i|narr\ hv the roadside, where the dip is L. N. L.

N. F. !- of section 21. Ouarry of loseph Shirk. This consists of a mass of shattered and dislodged beds, from which, however, good stone is taken. In one place, a mass showing a perpendicular thickness of rive feet is twisted away from its original position, the planes of jointing indicating where it ought to be. It is removed two teet from its natural place. The projection beyond the face of the other beds tapers, in the distance of about fifteen feet, to a few inches, and is hid by debris.

Many others also have small openings in the rocks in this township. Thev are nearly all in the midst ot cultivated fields, and there is a remarkable absence of boulders, although the rock is sometimes seen projecting above the surface. There are a tew boulders, but they are such as belong to the drift, and have been dug out by the erosion of streams, or by man. They are not thick about rocky outcrops, as in the lacustrine reuion.

Northwest quarter of section 11. Lewis Fisher ha> an extensive quarry in the I'pper Corniferous. in the valley of a little tributary to Honey creek. About fifteen teet ot bedding are exposed. King nearly liori/ontal. The lowest beds are about eighteen inches in thickness, and softer, yet of a blue color like the rest. In working Mr. Fisher's quarry, it has become necessary to remove about ten lee', ot hardpan drift.

Northeast quarter ot section 10. Jacob Oetwiller's quarry is also a;i extensive opening, and exposes beds a u-w teet lower than Mr. Fisher's. 'I lie lowest see nis to be of a lighter color, and in '1st be near the 1 MI! ton, of the I pper Corniferous. A stream disappears in this quarry, in time

Next to the products of the soil, the most important resources of Seneca county consist in the products o| the quarries. Throughout most of the countv there is no ditlicnlty in obtaining good building stone, although the best quarries are situated a little unfavorably for the townships of London. I'M- Spring. Seneca. Kden. Pleasant, Venice and Reed. 'I'he quarries at Tittm lurnish stone throughout a radius of man}' iniies. while those in Hiooin township supply a great tract of country south and east. The < j names in Thompson tou iiship, although located iri 'he I pper ( 'ornilerous. are atlording one ol the best qualities of stone in northwestern <)}iio: they are laxorably exposed tor working, but le>s developed than similar openings in Mloom township. This is doulitless tine to the superior advantages of quarries further north, and, at liellevuc. in Sandu-ky < onnty. tor reaching market and for shipmen: by railp >ad.

For lime, the Niagara and \vaterlinie formations are < hieily Used. '1 he\ are more e:i>ii\ quarried ami more i heaph burned than the I pper ( 'orniterons. lloih are burned at Tittm. but the kilns are rude and the expen-e oi burning i-- greater than where the improved kilns are cm] i although liable ! ntain pebbles oi limestone, \\hi< h injure ;he manu'.d ;ui'ed artii le. _;e ne rails ha> it in ->ui h small quantiU and in so < oinmniu'ed a --late, as to require no other ihax lor ihe silica. 1 he tile, brii k and pottery made ;n '.hi-- \s,i\ are suitable lor all jnirposes places. ( Mi l>eini,r exposed to the air. or especially to fire, it becomes cemented and verv hard. There is also a deposit in section n, in Clinton townshij). exactly on the south line of the Seneca Indian reservation.