TNTRODUCTfOX. X 



miles south of Grand Rapids, and there a halt of some length oc- 

 curred. The gravel tract between Dias Hills and Oun Lake was 

 formed at that time. 



• "The ice then melted back sufficientlv to bring tlu' reentrant an- 

 gle up to the bend of Grand River at Plainfield, and again halted. 

 At that time the Lake Michigan lobe formed the ridges and hills 

 that lie on the west side of Grand River from Rockford to Jeni- 

 son, and its margin continued southward past Jamestown. The 

 Saginaw lobe at the same time covered the region immediately 

 east of Grand Rapids, its margin being in the eastern edge of the 

 City; and it built up the rolling country around Reed's Lake, and 

 its continuation in districts to the north and south. Meantime, 

 the water found its escape southward over the site of Grand Rap- 

 ids, and on through the gravelly lowland that leads past Carlisle 

 to the Black Ash Swamp, and thence to the pine plains of west- 

 ern Allegan County, where it entered Lake Chicago, a lake that 

 then filled the south end of the Lake Michigan Basin and dis- 

 charged south-west past Chicago to the Illinois and INLississippi 

 Rivers. 



"In melting back from this position, the ice next made a stand 

 near Cedar Springs, and built up the prominent ridges north-east 

 of that village. From these ridges the margin of the Saginaw 

 lobe passed east of south near Nagle Lake to Grand River beloAv 

 Lowell and thence on past Alto, while the margin of the T^akc 

 Michigan lobe passed south-west near Sparta and English ville and 

 formed the western part of the great belt of rolling land west of 

 Grand Rapids. 



"At length after several halts that need not be enumerated here, 

 the Saginaw lobe had melted so far back that its front was on the 

 slope toward Saginaw Bay. A lake then formed in front of it, 

 known as Lake Saginaw, which discharged down Maple River to 

 Grand River at Lyons and thence on past Grand Rapids into Lake 

 Chicago. The channel divided near Jenison, one branch turning 

 down the present river to enter Lake Chicago near Lamont, while 



