Walworth County, Wisconsin - Chapter 2: Surface of the County and Other Natural Features, 1912

Chapter 2: Surface of the County and Other Natural Features

At the appearance of human life the surface of the county must have been well drained of its greater floods, its higher ridges settled and compacted, and all that was not covered with water overspread with many forms of vegetable growth - subsistence for many forms of lower animal life. Walworth is but a small segment of the great area of the upper Mississippi vallev and the region of the great lakes, and its superficial aspect is in most respects that of the greatly favored belt of southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. There is nowhere within the county a height that, except in loose local habit of speech, can be called a hill. Neither are there deep-lying, twilighted gorges, or other features of nature in her more imposing or more wanton character.

Heights Above Sea Level

A few official barometrical measurements, in feet above sea level, may give a fair notion of the upper and lower limits of unevenness. Railway stations, at which most of these observations were taken, are usually on lower ground than their villages, and somewhat variable figures are shown in different tabulations. For instance, the height of Lake Michigan is set down at 578 feet and also at 580 feet above sea level.

Prairies, Openings And Forests

The prairies are nowhere boundless to the eye, and, but for small areas, nowhere quite level or greatly rolling! The primitive forests, with tangled undergrowth, reached no great distance backward from the margins of lakes and banks of creeks. Timber-openings limited and were limited by the prairies, and this both agreeably and usefully to pleasure-loving and profit-seeking man. The barren gravel knolls are few and conveniently distributed. The marshes were usually small, and several of these have been drained. The largest was that part of Honey Creek valley locally known as Troy marsh, in southern sections (square miles) of that town: and Turtle Creek marsh, in the eastern sections of Richmond. Both of these have contracted their area and both will soon be added to the acreage of dairy land. Pursuant to an act of Congress. September 28. 1850, relating to reclamation of swamp and overflowed lands unfit for cultivation, a patent signed by President Pierce, December 13, 1856, granted to Wisconsin all such lands remaining unsold at passage of that act. Proceeds of sales from these lands are invested for the benefit of the State University. Tracts of this description selected in Walworth count) were in the following named towns:

Water Courses

Rock river, flowing southward through the county of the same name, and thence to the Mississippi, and Fox river, flowing in like direction to the same destination through the counties of Racine and Kenosha, receive all the drainage of Walworth. The great divide, for the most part, lies nearly diagonally southwest and northwest, along the great moraine. Honey creek and Sugar creek run by nearly parallel courses - the former from La- grange across the Troys, thence southward to section 13, Spring Prairie, where it joins the latter within a few rods of the county line, and meets the Fox near Burlington. Sugar creek rises in a marsh near Richmond and crosses the towns of Sugar Creek. Lafayette and Spring Prairie.

The outlet of Geneva lake is rather grandly named White river and is joined in Lyons by the outlet of Duck lake, ending its crooked course at the city of Burlington. Three streams, the west, northwest and northeasl branches of the Nippersink, meet a little above Genoa Junction and reach the Fox a few miles below Richmond, Illinois. The west branch conies out of Linn, crossing and recrossing the state line. The other branches are whollj in Bloomfield. The northeast branch is an outlet of Powers lake and its little companion lakes, lying along the border of Kenosha county.

Most of the town of Whitewater is drained by the creek of that name. which rises near the Richmond line, flows northward, becomes near the city a pair of connected ponds, and, passing into Jefferson county, reaches the Rock by way of Bark river. Turtle creek rises in Richmond, receives the 1 rharge from Delavan lake outlet, crosses Darien (leaving the count) near Allen Grove), finds its way to the Rock near Beloit, having crossed the towns of Bradford and Turtle. More than one half of the drainage of Elkhorn reaches the Turtle by way of Delavan lake inlet and outlet. The inlet has but a short course, in northern Geneva and Delavan, south of Elkhorn, and among its names have been Wallings, Phillips, and Jackson's creek. Straight southward through Sharon and near its eastern line runs the Piskasaw, which crosses the state line, traverses McHenry and B01 counties to merge itself in the Rock in southeastern Winnebago. Thus by ;t- streamlets, once mighty glacial torrents, Walworth is joined to all the oceans between pole and pole.

The lake region of southeastern Wisconsin includes the counties of Dane, Jefferson, Kenosha. Racine, Walworth and Waukesha. The larg of the Walworth lakes are Geneva, Delavan, the Lauderdale group, and P.eulah, all of which have been made known beyond the county borders, by the tongues and pens of men, Mad Longfellow been providentially guided to one or all of fhese lake- he mighl have added plea antly, if not greatly, to his "poems of places." He may have felt thai local pi have rightly some precedence here, and these well bel od 'he lyric tunities. The other lakes, in impartial order of alphabet, are: Army, Bass, Booth, tun <''>ii]i>>. 1 1 olden' s, Lulu, Mud, Pell's, Pleasant, Potter's, Russell's (or Otter), Ryan's, and Silver. Of these, Pleasant is associated in many minds with the Lauderdale chain, and Army, Booth and Mud with Beulah. Power's lake, in Kenosha county, has one long shore, with enough water to keep its pebbles clean, in Bloomheld. A smaller lake (Middle) has an end in Bloomfield and a third (Lower) is wholly in that town, and these two lead the waters of Powers to the Nippersink.

As far as is known to the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey, of all the inland lakes of the state, the deepest is Green lake, in the county of that name, jjj feet. The next deepest is Geneva lake, and in the clearness and coolness of its water it has no rival. Its surface is 860 feet above sea level, ami 282 feet above Lake Michigan. Its length is about seven and live-eighths miles and its area 8.6 square miles. Its very variable width is shown by the table below, the results of nearly six hundred soundings taken on nine lines measured across the ice from shore to shore. The length of these lines and the deepest sounding along each are thus given, beginning near the head 01" the lake : widl iurths of a mile. Its ar.-a is j.7 square miles. It> greatei 1 known depth is 56 7 feet. For the greater part of its area it is more than

These officially surveyed lake-- have been of no inconsiderable economic value to the county. Their attractions for summer visitors do not as yet wither or grow stale, and their influence on the valuation of adjacent real estate is evident.

Natural Products

Stone crops out occasionally along the hank- of creeks, but little quarrying has been found profitable. Cobblestones and boulders were strewn, not thickly, as in the rugged farther-east, but not difficult to gather, in the first half century of white man's needs, for wells and foundation walls. The lake shallows and creek bottoms supplied much of this homely but readily available material. A large three-storied hotel was early built at East Troy of little more than fist-sized pebbles, and seems time-defying; and a wayside inn, now a sober and substantial dwelling, was built at Tibbets before railways came this way, of gravel and lime mortar.

Brick clay of variable quality has been found and used from an early date, making a substantial, though often homely article for home builders. The best is that at Whitewater, its bricks having the color and hardness of the cream-colored product which once made Milwaukee famous. Generally, the bricks from other kilns vary in color from grayish yellow to dull light red. Drain tiles have been made for home trade for perhaps a quartercentury.

Beds of peat have been worked in the valley of Whitewater creek, but without great influence upon the fuel market. Deposits of here and there have been worked experimentally, and for a time have raised some hopes in the minds of owners. The one great, unfailing, earth-hidi resource is spread over all the town-, at plowing depth belov urface.

Timber

There was nothing peculiar to this county in its native trees, shrubs, vines, medicinal herbs and weeds. Oaks of the black, burr, pin, red and white varieties were by far the most numerous and widely spread, and hence most valuable; and these gave their distinctive character to the timber openings, so inviting to the early comers. Other trees and shrubs were black and white ash. basswood, birch, black cherry, black walnut, butternut, red and white cedar, crab apple, cranberry, hazel, hickory, ironwood. locust, curly and sugar maple, plum, poplar, sumach, tamarack and willow. The oaks, at fir>t piled for cabin walls and split for fencing and fuel, were but little later hewn for long-lasting framework of houses, barns, mills, churches and county buildings, and sawed into scantling, joists, inch boards, and half-inch siding; and when railways brought in a full supply of pine lumber the older trees became the general source of firewood. Some of these fallen lords of the ancient forest may have been thrifty shoots as long ago as the voyages of Columbus and Cartier, and many of them must have been acorn-bearers when Nicolet came down Rock river valley from the further north, in 1634. A few are vet living, seemingly as slow in their dying as in their growing. White oak and hickory gave excellent materials to the local wagon makers. The earlier joiners found in black walnut a fair supply of easily worked lumber for inner finish of houses. Since it was taken as it ran through the mills - unselected - its color was slightly improved by painting.

The settlers early became forest conservators, and there has been little wanton or accidental destruction. The needs of pioneers and the later fuel supply of farmers and villagers nearly exhausted the dead timber and the older living trees within the first thirty years. For a few more years the oaks of sec. md grow tli gave firewood at a steadily rising price. Thus, good wood, often in over-full cords, was sold in [856 at $2.25 to $2.50; in 1866, in even cords, at $4.50 to $5: in 1876, in scant cords, at $5.50 to $6; in 1896, in loads of dead trunks and dynamite-split stumps, a scant supply at $6. Coal began to come into general use after 1X70. and is now. with coke, kerosene. and gasoline, for kitchen use. the only fuel available for such as do not own grows of trees from six to eight or more inches in diameter, but the fortunate owner- are able to withold the axe for yet a generation to Come. For that space of time, at least, the county will be far from treeless, as the yearly growth seems to lie gaining on the few cutters.

Climate

The climate of Wisconsin is probably modified by the presence of the great lakes northward and eastward and by the absence of great wind breaks east of the Rocky mountains. The prevailing winds of winter which give that season its most familiar character, blow from the arc between southwest and north, strongly and keenly. Winds from the lakes are much less frostladen. Snow and rain come from every point of the compass-card. Sudden changes of weather often surprise wary observers and are more trying than greatest heat or cold. The prevailing winds, which make winter so cruel, compensate in the warmer seasons }>\ driving away such miasmas as arise from the shrinking marshes. The fevers of the prairie-breaking period have disappeared and have made way for the disorders of riotous or careless living. Pulmonary and bronchial diseases are not so common as might be judg likelv from the general weather conditions. The few epidemics are speedily limited in severity and duration by the local physicians and boards ol health. As long ago as 1857 a physician described the region in which he practiced as "distressingly healthy." and this could have been said as truly of the resl of the county.

The summers are variable as to length and temperature, but may be described as short and hot. There is more complaint of drouth than oi excessive rain, both of which have been known to spoil the farmer's year; but in general the crops grow to fullness and ripen well 111 spite of prophetic fears. Untimely frosts, too, sometimes threaten or injure the sproul or the unripe ear. The late Robert T. Seymour said, about [876, that he had been twenty-three years in the county and had gathered twenty-one good crops of corn.

In [859 and 1863 ii was noted that there was in each of these years at least one frosty night in each month. A man who seemed nol overcredul remarked that a friend had heard Solomon Juneau say that an aged Menominee had told him that such years had occurred quadrennially in southeastern Wisconsin for a period reaching as far backward- as [743. Bui neither 1867 nor any subsequent year before leap year has confirmed this simple rule of forecasting a season. The summer of [859, for all it- monthly frost, was generally hot and dry. The summer of I'M 1. until near the end of August, was warm and dry. and the firsl week of July was superheated in city and country. In July and August pipe-layers found tl loist enough to hold together in spadefuls at the depth of six feet. Then began, in time to save the crops, short local shower-, increasing throughout September and

October in frequency and duration, and so restored the normal moisture that the surface soil is likely to withstand, if need be, another series of dry summers.

Mr. Dwinnell noted that the winter of 1836-7, endured in new log huts by himself and Isaiah Hamblin in Lafayette and by James Van Slyke. wife and child at Fontana, was cruelly cold and hard to bear. Mr. Cravath told of five feet of snow, January to April, 1843, anc' a narc' winter. Mr. Gale arid Mr. Simmons also thus noticed this winter. That of 1856-7 was exceptionally cold in Michigan and Wisconsin, and the next winter, though somewhat less so,was made trying by heavy snow and wild drifts. Builders worked out of doors in 1857-8 nearly all winter in shirt sleeves. A heavy fall of snow, each side of New Year's, 18H4, was blown into almost impassable drifts, and with this such degree of cold as to make the whole month of January for long memorable ; and this was but slightly mitigated in February. Among later extremely cold winters were those of 1872-3. 1874-5. 1887-8, 1894-5. That of 1875-6 was mild, and the next, or next but one, was so muddy that it was difficult to haul half-loads of produce into town. In the first week of November, 1869, about eighteen inches of snow fell in two days, and lay nearly undisturbed by winds until March. For one full winter sleighing was good where (lie Hacks were well beaten.

A Memorable Season

The snow blockade of February ami early March, 1881, was general throughout most of the northern states. The weather of February 10th was unusually mild. Before daylight of the nth began a heavy snowfall, driven slantwise at a small angle with the plane of the horizon, from the north-northeast, and tin's continued until roads for long spaces were full from fence to fence ami deepest railway cuts filled to their tops. New levels thus reached, the snow was driven onward to regions of warmer air. After the first heavj fall the air was kept full of the liner particles raised and driven by the long unresting gale, constantlj setting at naughl the work of snow plows and of thousands of shovelers. The fields were swept nearly bare between drifts, lint many farmers found long and hard work between house and barn. Villages became as pett) sovereignties with a policy of non-intercourse. Resides, before the ways were again opened there was reasonable dread of a soon- COHling want of flour and fuel. For nearly a month mails were stopped Then, having been notified by telegraph that an accumulation of tie-sacks had reached Eagle from Chicago, by wa\ of Milwaukee, the postmaster at Elk- horn, March 8th, swore in Daniel Lennon as special carrier and sent him out by two-horse bob-sled to find his way and flounder through it as best he might. He returned in twelve hours, himself and team greatly way-worn; Mr. Bradley distributed mail all night, and men received their del.: eel

The only employment for young men was as volunteer shovelers in the nearer railway cuts. They soon discharged themselves with blistered faces and necks, and eyes for some days blinded from the reflected heat and glare of the sun in the snow pits. Older or less active men, finding home a cage, wallowed through drifts and fought with the gale to reach hotel, saloon or store and soon found the fireside gossip there stale and outworn tor want of new material.

Nicholas Donoghue died about March ist and his body lay unburied for a week or more. Isaac Burson died March 5th, at a hotel, and his body lay more than fortv-eight hours before it could be taken to his relatives, two and one-half miles away, toward Delavan. These few instances may show the effectiveness of this historic blockade.

When the snow no longer filled the air and shovelers began t<> make some way through the drifts, men hoped that as the slowly creeping month neared the equinox the sun would prevail against the long winter. But, on the 19th, the storm returned to Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa. It seemed tinsame snow, driven from the same quarter at the same angle by the same illintending wind. It was mid-April before all the highways opened. Neat the end of May the slowly-melting snow and lower ice lingered in such places as the hollow next west of the church near Jacobsville.