126 KANSAS UNIVERSITY QUARTERLY. 



length. Such streamers generally trend a little west of north 

 and east of south, but there is not a perfect regularity in this. 

 These conditions are very prominent in the vicinity of Lawrence. 

 About two miles east from the Bismarck fair grounds on the left 

 bank of Mud creek the loess bluffs are particularly prominent and 

 represent in miniature the conditions so notable in the vicinity of 

 St. Joseph and other points along the Missouri river where the 

 heavy loess bluffs are weathered away leaving the sharp and 

 rugged spires and pinnacles recalling the conditions of the Bad 

 Lands of Dakota and Wyoming. 



An overland trip was made from Lawrence to Junction City for 

 the purpose of studying the conditions farther up stream. The 

 glacial ridges with their streamers of sand similar to those just 

 described as occurring around Lawrence were found in great 

 abundance between Lawrence and Topeka. About nine miles 

 northwest of Lawrence, at the foot of the bluff on the north side, a 

 bed of glacial sand is found, the sands from which extend down 

 into the valley and are very noticeable in the soil. About two 

 miles southwest of Thompsonville the glacial clay, fragments of 

 crystalline rocks such as greenstone and quartzite, and sand alter- 

 nate and intermix. From this bluft the great sandy streamers can 

 be traced to the valle}- below. Local areas of considerable extent 

 can be seen to exist in patches in the broad level fields. Farther 

 up the river, near Rossville, great quantities of sand and gravel 

 were found. The hills to the northwest of St. Marys are covered 

 with a heav}' mantle of sand and gravel quite thoroughly mixed 

 with small quantities of yellow cla}^ The beds contain numerous 

 examples of small boulders and gravel, quartzite, greenstone, and 

 flint fragments. Each 3ear the clay and finer silt is washed away 

 leaving the coarser gravel behind, as is well illustrated b}' the 

 gravel beds at St. Marys. 



Speaking in a general way it ma}' be said that almost all of the 

 northern bluffs of the river from Kansas City to Topeka are cov- 

 ered with such loess deposits, while man}- places along the south- 

 ern bluffs also show the same conditions. Above Topeka the 

 loess deposits gradually diminisli in relative abundance, and it is 

 an interesting fact to note that the relative proportion of sand in 

 the river valley likewise decreases; so that before Manhattan is 

 reached, particularly on the southern side of the valley, the sand 

 has decreased to such an extent that its absence is very noticeable. 

 Here and there, also, throughout the whole distance, are areas of 

 black soil recalling the soil of the Wakarusa valle}-, to which it cor- 

 responds in almost every respect, and upon careful examination it 



