DeKalb County, Indiana - Chapter 2: Geology, Topography and Zoology, 1914

Chapter 2: Geology, Topography and Zoology

Tlie county of DeKalb is situated directly south of Steuben county, the northeastern corner county of the state of Indiana. DeKalb county is bounded on the east by Defiance county, Ohio ; on the south by Allen county, Indiana ; on the west by Noble county, Indiana ; and on the north, as mentioned before, by Steuben county. The county is located in the basin drained by the tributaries of Lake Erie and the Mississippi river and is also drained by the St. Joseph river, of the Maumee, including Cedar. Wells to twenty-five feet, reach a second stratum of clear, cold, and in some cases, chalybeate water. Tube wells forty-five feet deep, strike a thin stratum of clear and highly chalybeate water. Near Auburn the water of this stratum rises nearly to the surface and in cases becomes artesian. Typical of the section of the country, the surface of the county is rolling and undulating. The land was originally covered with the hard woods of northern Indiana, but has been cleared, and now is of great value for various agricultural pursuits.

The Geology

The history of DeKalb county, as read in the rock formation underlying the soil, proves conclugively that the county, or the land on which the county now rests, was raised out of the sea by the earth shrinkage some time immediately after the Devonian period. The carboniferous, the reptilian, and the tertiary rocks are not present in the underlying strata; the Devonian is the last, and it is in the short description of this strata that the geological history of DeKalb county may be related.

The English scientists, Murchison and Sedgwick, named the rock formation known as the Devonian. In this formation are found fossils of the first known fishes. The largest outcropping of this rock is in the region of Devonshire, England, but in Indiana, in DeKalb county, the rock is com- pletely hidden from view, covered with drift, or disintegrated rocks. This soil was transported to this locality from other fields by the great glacier which swept down from the north ages ago. The soil is a mixture of clay, sand, gravel, pebbles, and all sorts and species of stones and boulders. These rocks have no sharp edges, but round ones, due to the wearing process of the glacial action. The scratches on their surfaces are from the same source. Rocks of foreign species are scattered over the county, from widely different localities, having been brought here by the glacier. The gently rolling mounds here and there over the surface of the county are deposits of glacial drift, formed the same as if one were rubbing a damp powdery substance over a surface. On the top of this drift there is a thin vegetable mould, which composes the rich soil of the county.

Peat Deposits

DeKalb county ranks as one of the medium peat counties of Indiana in its amount of material, and among the first in its quality. The deposits are largely of the moss variety.

Township 33 north, ranges 12, 13, 14 and part of 15 east, have little or no place left for the development of peat beds, due to the draining of the glacial lakes by the St. Joseph river and its tributaries. Jackson and Concord townships have a ten-acre peat deposit in the southwest quarter of section 3 and the same of 4; the bed is comparatively shallow and of fair quality. On the place of S. Franks, in the southeast quarter of section i (33 north, 13 east), and the southwest of section 6 (33 north, 14 east), is a ten-acre bed of peat, which is shallow, but of good quality. Deposits of this extent are too small for a peat plant, being suitable for fuel only, where it is spaded out, stacked up to dry and used in the crude condition.

In Jackson township, in the northwest quarters of section 22, the southeast of 15, and the northeast of 21, is located a peat bed one mile long and one-sixth of a mile wide. Five different soundings showed an excellent thickness and a stripping of about one and one-half feet. It is a dark chocolate brown in color, and the substratum is composed largely of clay. More or less high ground is scattered through this district and deposit. In an old glacial lake basin in the northeast quarter of section 4 and the northwest of 3, is a fair bed of peat of twenty or twenty-five acres. It has a stripping of about one foot, and is a dark brown in color. In the northwest and northeast quarters of section 4 are seventy acres of peat, on the Weimer and Barnhart farms. This is of fair quality, brown color, one foot stripping, and a sub-soil of day. A deposit, similar in quality to this one, is in the south central part of section 4. This is a bed of forty acres, with a thickness varying between six and twenty feet. This is an excellent location for a peat plant, as there are three deposits in this section, totaling about one hundred and forty acres, with the Baltimore & Ohio railroad bisecting it. On the Buchanan and Weaver places, in the northeast and northwest quarters of section 8, is a thirty-five-acre peat deposit, of good quality, being derived from the Sphagnum mosses. The bed is from five to twenty-five feet in depth, and the stripping is very light. Almost all of the material is below the ground-water level, and consequently has not been oxidized in the presence of the air. The surface is largely covered from one-half to two feet with green mosses, which would be very valuable to nurserymen. Immediately beneath these mosses are several feet of a. good quality of peat moss litter, of a light and dark brown color. Under this is medium brown peat.

In Jackson and Butler townships peat beds, varying greatly in thickness and extent, are found in pockets in the muck area, which extends east and west, with a length of about two and three-quarter miles and a width of one-fifth of a mile. They are located in the northeast and northwest quarters of section 29, the northeast and northwest of 30, and the northeast and northwest of 2^. The area covered by these beds will probably be more than one hundred and twenty-five acres. In the eastern portion of this area, just north of the center of section 29, is a fifteen-acre bed, which contains a good quality of peat, being derived from the sphagnum mosses. The stripping is about one-half foot, and the underlying formation is clay. The thickness of this deposit is from ten to twenty-five feet, with about one-sixth of its material above the le\'el of the ground-water. Advancing westward from this bed, in the muck area, there are numerous patches of two or four acres, where the peat is five or more feet in depth and of good quality.

Around Duncan lake, in the southeast quarter of section 31 and the southwest of 32, are about twenty acres of peat, derived from the sphagnum mosses, and of good quality. The peat bed forms a belt about one hundred yards wide around the lake, occurring between it and the higher ground. It is almost all beneath the water level, and thus is in a very loose condition, and would shrink greatly if drained. The sub-soil is clay, and. the stripping almost nothing.

On the land owned by J. Paulin and M. .\. Carnahan, in the southeast quarter of section 36, is a peat bed ranging in thickness from six to twentyfive feet. Twenty acres of clayey peat occur in the north centra! part of section 14. The thickness of the bed is low and the stripping heavy. It is suitable for use only in the crude condition. A deposit similar in size, quality and thickness is located in the south central part of section lo and the north central part of 15.

In the southwest quarter of section 10 are fifteen acres of peat, of varying quality, derived from sphagnum mosses. A little more than one mile south of Garrett, in the northeast quarter of section 9, is a peat bed of about seventy acres, where peat moss litter is taken out on a commercial scale. Ten or more acres of this deposit have been carefully sounded and are judged to have an average thickness of about forty-five feet. Several soundings in the remainder of the deposit show a thickness of two to twenty feet. This moss is spaded out for the market; after being dried and baled it is shipped to different points in Ohio. Indiana, Michigan and Illinois, where it is used as a litter for stables, fowl-houses, kennels, etc. It will absorb eight to twelve times its own weight of water, while ordinary straw cannot absorb more than three times its own weight. The state geologist in his report for 1906 on the peat deposits says : "In determining the value of peat as a fertilizer it is doubtful whether any of the analyses are of value, as the benefit derived from peat depends not so much on the chemical composition as on the mechanical effect of the peat on the soil, its effect in promoting disintegration and solution of mineral matters, and its property of absorbing ammonia. The value of peat as a direct fertilizer depends on the nitrogenous organic matter present and particularly upon the ammonia, potash, phosphoric acid and lime. As these direct fertilizing ingredients rarely form two per cent, of the mass free from water, it can not be a significant source of mineral fertilizer. The quantity of potash (K'O) in the a.sh of the peats examined varies from 0.96 to 1.56-/^ : the quantity of phosporic acid (P-Q^) from 1.17 to 1.90''^? ." Further description of peat as a product will be given later.

Beginning at the west side of Garrett and extending west and northwest for one and one-half miles, is a peat bed of one hundred acres. The thickness ranges from four to twenty-five feet, and the stripping will average about one foot. Probably twenty acres of peat can be found around the small lakes in the southeast quarter of section 7. The tO])ographical position is that of an old glacial lake basin. A peat bed extends east and west through or near the centers of sections 13, 14, 15 and 18, and has a length of three miles and a width of from one-ninth to one-third of a mile. This deposit is below the ground-water level, consequently has not been affected by oxidation in the air. The thickness varies greatly.

In Union tov.'nship there is an old glacial lake basin, which contains several acres of peat of varying quality. It occurs in the southeast quarter of section t,^ and the southwest of 34. From about two and one-half miles northeast of Auburn to a point near Mooresville is a chain of peat beds, which will comprise several hundred acres of fair to good peat, found in the northeast quarter of section 27, the southwest and southeast of 23, and the southwest and southeast of 24. Individual deposits are from two to thirtyfive acres in extent, with the thickness ranging from ten to twenty-five feet.

In Wilmington township a bed of muck, one mile long and one-third of a mile wide, containing numerous pockets of peat, appears in the southeast quarter of section 20, the southwest and southeast of 21 and the northwest of 28. The peat beds, from two to twenty acres in area, will likely aggregate two hundred acres, and have a thickness varying between four and twentyfive feet. The quality of the material is from fair to good, being partly from the sphagnum mosses and partly from the grasses and sedges. The stripping is from one-half to two feet. On the Gender farms, in an old glacial lake basin, in the southwest quarter of section 22 and the southeast of 21, are forty acres of peat, underlain by a clay sub-soil. The thickness of the bed will average five feet, and the stripping about one and one-half feet. In a twenty-five-acre muck bed in the northeast quarter of section 8 and the northwest of 7, are about forty acres of peat, more or less scattered in pockets of ten acres or less. It has clay underneath, and is derived from the sphagnum mosses. The stripping is one and one-half feet.

Ten or fifteen acres of a fair quality of peat are found in the muck bed in the northwest quarter of section 7, and the northeast quarter of section 12. Another small deposit of ten acres occurs just west of the central part of section 2. An area similar in size and quality is found in the southwest quarter of section 4.

In Troy township there is a peat deposit in the northeast and southeast quarters of section 8 and in parts of each of the quarters of section 9, which has a length of one-half of a mile and a width of one-quarter of a mile. It is of good quality. Near the top it is very fibrous and bladed, while deeper it becomes less fibrous and more compact. - The ver\- fibrous portion is a good quality of peat moss litter and occurs here in large quantities. An old glacial lake once occupied the same place that this peat bed now covers. About twenty-five acres of peat occur in the west central part of section 30, of poor quality and fair, and shallow thickness. A deposit of fifteen acres similar in quality and thickness, is found in the east central part of section 26, and the west central of 25. Another shallow bed of a rather poor quality is located in the northwest quarter of section 10.

east, southwest and southeast quarters of section 12, Smithfield, and the southwest, northwest and northeast quarters of 7, Franklin, are about two hundred and fifty acres of peat, in several large beds, separated by the higher ground and muck. The quality ranges between poor and fair, the derivation being, to a considerable extent, from the sphagnum mosses. About one-third of the material is above the ground-water level. Fair crops of onions and corn are raised on the more decomposed portions.

Forty acres of a shallow deposit of peat are found along the Lake Shore railroad in the northeast and southeast quarters of section 3, Smithfield township. Another shallow deposit of fifteen acres is in the west central part of section 8 and the east central of 7. About four acres of fairly good peat is found around Cedar lake ; another around Indian lake.

Arthur E. Taylor, in the State Geological Report, describes peat thuslv : "Peat is a moist, spongy and partially carbonized vegetable matter, ranging in color from a light chocolate brown to a black. When it has remained, for some time, in a state of imperfect decomposition in the presence of water, it forms a soft, slimy mass, which is sufficiently tenacious to be molded into almost any form. When dried this mass becomes hard and somewhat darkened on the surface, from oxidation. It shows an earthy fracture, and reminds one of a black, carbonaceous clay. Where the peat has only been in this state of partial decay for a brief period it is very fibrous, incompact and often contains the roots of the plants which afford the material from which it is derived. It is lighter in color and has a lower specific gravity than the first variety. In any marsh where the process of peat formation is going on, we find these two varieties, the former comprising the lower and medium portions of the bed, while the latter lies near the surface. Between these two varieties the peat is found in various intermediate stages of incomplete preservation. Peat in many localities is commonly known by the terms 'muck,' 'turf,' and 'bog.' "

Peat is formed by the decaying of vegetable matter in the presence of water. Owing to the numerous lakes in the northern part of Indiana, the many peat beds are there found. Gradually, through the ages of time, lakes have been gradually filled up by vegetation. The mosses form around the edges of the lake, then spread out upon the surface. It slowly thickens, and the decayed matter falls from the sides and accumulates on the bottom of the lake. First this covering is very thin, but later becomes of sufficient srength for a man to place his weight thereon. Then it is called by the familiar term of "quaking bog." If the accumulation continues for a long period the lake becomes filled completely, and if sufficient decomposition beneath the groundwater level had ensued, would become a "peat bed."

The water, however, for the forming of peat beds does not have to be in the form of a lake. In Indiana there are examples of peat having been formed above the ground-water level. In an ordinary. dry forest the vegetation soon becomes blackened and decomposed, the carbon passing off as carbon-dioxide and the inorganic matter being left as a residue. Near water the vegetation decays more slowly and the accumulation gains on the decomposition. This is the result of the fact that where water is present the air cannot come into free contact with the carbon, and this element is largely retained, while much of the inflammable substance is given off, thus improving the fuel quality of the vegetation.

Economic Value Of Peat

As a fuel, peat has served its purpose since a time prior to the Christian era. Pliny, in his natural history, speaks of it. In America the exhaustion of coal fields and other causes has caused peat to be used very largely as fuel. Briquettes are oblong blocks of compressed peat, and are excellent sources of heat. The value of peat as a fertilizer is discussed fully elsewhere in this work. Peat charcoal is a valuable filtering agent. Peat coke is also widely used, and the by-products from the coke are worth as much or more than the coke. As a source of producer gas, peat is of great economic worth. Peat gas is valued above coal gas in the steel industry on account of its greater freedom from sulphur and phosphorus.

If one were in doubt of the existence at one time of many diflferent species of wild animals in DeKalb county one has but to read of the days of the pioneer and Indian, when the streams were filled with fish, eager for the iiait, and animals of all descriptions roamed the forest aisles, only waiting for the trapper's bullet. The pioneers' tables were well filled with wild meats in those days, but now the many beasts native to this locaHty have disappeared, or at least are too few to be of vahie. The buffalo, elk and deer were the first to fall before the white man. Twenty years ago the last deer was shot. The panther and two species of the wildcat once snarled from the trees of DeKalb county and made traveling dangerous to the settler, but it has been fifty years since one of these felines has been seen. The porcupine, beaver and black bear have forsaken their haunts for even a longer period, and the minks, weasels, skunks, for whom a diligent search was once made on account of the value of their fur, have largely disappeared. The dififerent squirrels remain so long as there are spots of forest land in the county, but with the diminishing trees they, too, go. Moles, rabbits and bats are still existent, also muskrats. Gray wolves are extinct, and also the fox family. Groundhogs, or woodchucks, are occasionally discovered, but very rarely. Wild hogs are an animal of the past, most of this valuable species being domesticated.

The absence of large lakes and streams in DeKalb county has been a force to restrict the variety of fishes. There are, however, some interesting families for the ichthyologist.

The stickleback family are great game fish. There are many species in this family, and each has a popular name, such as black bass, green or Osage bass, big black sun-fish or rock bass, goggle-eye, and the common sun-fish. These fish have diminished greatly. There are no perch in the county, although at one time very common. Another fish that has largely disappeared is the pike, also the pickerel and gar pikes. The suckers, buffalo, red horse, and white are fish of the past. Fish of the cat-fish family are still common, but have deteriorated, the best one weighing not over a pound and a half. Among them are the channel, blue and yellow, bull-head. There are several varieties of chubs, silver sides, and minnows in the smaller streams.

Reptiles have at one time been common to DeKalb county, some twentythree species existing. The larger ones have been exterminated. Two species, the copperhead and massanger, are venomous. The smaller species, like toads, are useful to the country, for they prey on destroying animals like mice and moles. The lizard family is represented here by such animals as the salamander, which is a useful one, having as their prey flies and other pests. There have been eighteen species of these animals here. The largest attains a length 6f about eight inches, and is of a black color, with large, irregular black spots. Another species is wholly of a yellow color; and yet another is a brilliant red and haunts cold springs. The second in size is the mud alligator, or water dog ; and another has external gills for breathing in water. There are five species of frogs and five of toads. Four are tree toads. One species of frog is subterranean, digging backwards into the earth with its hind feet, which are shaped like a shovel. It appears on the surface of the ground in breeding time, after the thunder showers of April, and in the evening, and is recognized by the loud, discordant croak it emits.

In DeKalb county are found over two hundred and fifty different species of the bird family. The singers outnumber the others, although the really good singers are in the minority.

The thrushes are the best singing birds of the county, namely, the wood-thrush. The song of the thrush has been the inspiration of the greatest poets of the world ; the thrush's song is varied and tuneful, and is unequaled by that of any other bird. The olive-backed thrush, the brown thrush, and the robin are all migratory birds, and have songs second to the wood-thrush. The hermit and olive-backed thrushes are common to the spring of the year ; the robins and cat-birds haunt the gardens and orchards, preferring civilization to the wildness of the woods, perhaps feeling more secure there from the preying birds. The brown thrush is ofttimes found in the thickets of the hazel-brush, and briers, which follow old fences and brush heaps ; in the latter place the nest is generally built. The food of this family consists of grasshoppers, beetles, snails, spiders, caterpillars and small fruits and berries.

The bluebird is the only species of that family in the county, and it stays from spring to fall, nesting in bird-houses, fence-posts, decayed trees and feeds on winged insects, worms, grasshoppers, spiders, and a few berries. It is a natural enemy to the song-birds, but is defeated by the English sparrow, which attack in droves.

The golden-crowned and ruby-cro%vned kinglets and the blue-gray gnatsnatcher are common during the spring and fall. The latter is often found in the winter, and the gnat-snatcher is here during the summer. The kinglets nest most often in the region of the lakes, but the gnat-snatcher nests here, usually building his nest high up in the oaks.

The white-bellied and red-bellied nuthatch are very common to this locality, being found in woodlands and orchards, their nests built in holes in the trees. Their food consists of ants, eggs of insects, and seeds.

The black-capped chickadee, or titmouse, the sole member of this family here, feeds upon insects, berries, seeds, crumbs and meat, and nests in the woods the whole year; during the winter is found close to the house searching for sweepings.

The Carolina wren is a rare bird, whicli occasionally gets this far north. However, the house wren is common. The winter wren, the long-billed

The horned lark is a winter resident, sometimes breeding here. Barren and gravelly fields are the abiding place of this bird, and it lives on insects and seeds. When the ground is hidden in snow these birds may be found feeding on the droppings of stock about the farm. The titlark is also a bird with similar habits to the above.

The warblers are very numerous in this county. The black and white creeper resides here in the summer, nesting on the ground, preferably beside a fallen log. The blue yellow-backed warbler, a rare migratory bird, is sometimes found in the tree-tops of the forest. .The blue-winged yellow warbler is very uncommon, also the orange-crowned warbler. The blue goldenwinged warbler is common, and the Nashville and Tennessee variety. The yellow, the black-throated green, the black-throated blue, the blue, the yellowrumped, the blackburnian, the black-poll, the yellow red-poll, and the chestnut-sided warblers are all common - some of them abundant; and all of them are migratory birds. The bay-breasted, the Cape May, the prairie, the yellowthroated and Kirtland's warblers are rare. The golden-crowned thrush is rare, but uses this locality as a breeding ground. The Connecticut warbler, a good singer, is rare here. The Maryland yellow-throat is occasionally seen, and the black-capped fly-catching warbler is common during the spring and fall. The Canada fly-catching warbler and the red start are very common.

The scarlet tanager is common, but the summer red-bird is not so frequently seen. This is a large family, but little represented in this part of the country.

The swallow is a very common bird in the county. There are several species, namely: the barn, cliff or cave, white-bellied, and the bank or sand swallow. The purple martin, a member of this family, has been driven out by the sparrow. The swallows feed exclusively on winged insects.

The shrikes or butcher-birds are represented here. The great Northern shrike is rare, but the logger-head shrike, is common. They are a very quarrelsome bird, particularly among themselves. Their food consists of large insects, mice and small birds and snakes. One habit of theirs is to impale their prey on thorns or twigs and leave it there for future visits.

The finch and sparrow family are very numerous. Among the species are pine grosbeak, purple finch, white-winged and red cross-bills, red-poll linnet, pine linnet, goldfinch, or yellow bird, snow-bunting, Laplong longspur, Savannah sparrow, bay-winged bunting, yellow-winged, Henslow's and Lincoln's sparrows, swamp and song sparrows, snow-bird, mountain sparrow.

chipping and field sparrows, white-throated and white-crowned sparrows, English sparrow, fox sparrow, black-throated bunting, rose-breasted grosbeak, indigo bird, towhee bunting or chewink. Except during the breeding season, birds of this family feed upon seeds, and those which are residents during the entire year eat very little during the breeding season, and feed their young almost entirely on insects. The rose-breasted grosbeak is the only bird known to feed on the potato bug and the white-crowned sparrow feeds on the grape-vine flea-beetle. The common yellow bird prefers the seeds of the thistle and lettuce. The chewee, or chewink, and the fox sparrow scratch for the hibernating insects and snails. The cross-bills feed on the seeds in the pine cones, and the English sparrow extracts the seeds contained in the droppings of animals.

The blackbird family is represented by the following species : the bobolink, a songster; the cow-bird, or cow black-bird, which frequents old pasture lands and wood edges in summer; this cow-bird builds no nest of its own, but invades the nests of smaller birds and there deposits its eggs. There is the red-winged blackbird, common in summer; meadow lark; orchard and Baltimore orioles ; rust}^ blackbird, or grackle, is common for a few weeks in the spring; and the crow blackbird. Insects and grains constitute the food of these birds. The cow birds destroy the eggs and young of other birds, and the orioles feed on hairy caterpillars and some of the small fruits.

Of the fly-catcher family, the king-bird is frequently seen in the summer in orchards and in the edges of the woods. The great-crested fly-catcher is abundant in the forest, and uses snake-skins in the construction of its nest. The pewee, the wood pewee, the least fly-catcher, yellow-bellied fly catcher, are others of this family common to DeKalb county. They subsist on the winged insects.

Other birds common to this locality, and of different families, are : The whippoorwill and night hawk, nocturnal birds ; chimney swallow ; hummingbirds ; king-fishers ; black-billed cuckoos, or rain-crows ; hairy, downy, yellowbellied, red-l>ellied, red-headed and golden-winged wood-peckers ; great horned, mottled, screetch, long-eared, short-eared, barn, owls; hawks, including the marsh, sharp shinned, Cooper's sparrow, red-tailed, red shouldered, broad-winged, rough-legged or black and fish. The white-tailed kite, the goshawk, the pigeon hawk, Swainson's hawk and the bald eagle are more rare. The turkey buzzard, pigeon family, wild turkey, grouse, plovers, sandpipers, herons, cranes, rails, gulls, loons, grebes are seen in this county. Ducks are represented here by the mallard type, the black, big black head, little black head, ring-necked, red-head, golden-eye, butter-ball, ruddy and fish ducks, brant and Canada geese, widgeon, golden-winged and blue-winged teal and the hooded merganser. The pintail, gadwall, shoveler, wood duck, canvasback, long-tailed and red-breasted merganser are very rare.

Game Preserve

The game preserve in DeKalb county contains five thousand seven hundred and ninety- four acres of rolling and level land, lying in the southwestern part of Smithfield township and extending into Grant township. One-tenth of the preserve is woodland and there is much copse and young wood throughout the remainder. The water supply consists of Cedar Lake and Cedar creek, with its tributaries.