104 



Sugar Creek. This strenni wns once much used as a incaus of transporta- 

 tion. In 1S24 William Nicholson (aiiic from MaysvilU>. Kentucky, to Craw- 

 fordsvillo in a koolhoat of ten tons hiirdcn, which landed ut the mouth of 

 Whitluck's SjiriiiL; Iti'anch. 'I'rips wci'c also made between r'rawfonlsvillp 

 and Tcrre Haute in rtathoals. Only the li^litcst fif canoes can now do so. 

 IJocords also show that Suj,Mr ('i-ee!< has fiiniishetl the motive power for 

 at least ninetet'ii mills situated aloiit; its course in Mont'^'omery County. 

 Xot over three of tliese mills are lunv in operation, and these have to de- 

 pend upon steam durinjr most of the suuuuer months. It may he that 

 other factors, such as competition, have helped to cause their abandonment. 



No accurate information reuardinj; the maximum and minimum flow 

 of the stream in different seasons in i)ast years can he obtained, hut it is 

 ll'.e prevailini,' oi)inion that tloods are now hi.Lclu'r and more freipient and 

 that the waters .-ire lower dnrini: the sunnner months than formerly. The 

 sm.aller streams of the county have also been affected. One stream near 

 New Market has been reiiorted as beiuLC dry for half the year, whereas, 

 formerly it was never dry. A stream near Waveland under my own ob- 

 servation used to furnish fishing and swimming pools for the boys during 

 the summer, but such si>orts are now rarely possible in this stream. Nu- 

 merous other examples of tlie same nature can be cited. 



This evidence proves that the water escajves from the ground in times 

 of rain faster than formerly. From this it is evident that less water is 

 held in the soil, thus causing a corrc^sponding decrease in the water level 

 of the county. 



Sliiiiitifi. — The early settlers built tlieir caiuns where fresh water 

 was easily obtainable. Springs v\ere foun<l on almost any hillside and 

 wells were not thought of. M.-iiiy sjirings in all p.arts of the county have 

 either dried up or their w.-iter tlow has been i-"duced. Several large 

 springs just southwest of Crawfordsville have dis.appeariHl. Many springs 

 liave lnH'u reported as having failed or decarased in water tlow in the 

 neighborhoods of Ladoga. New .M.ii-ket. Waynetown. Parlingten and el.-^e- 

 wliere, all of which show a falling of the water levtM. 



WcUx. — The letters sent out de.ilt with the water level of old dug 

 wells and the forest and dr.ainage conditions in their vicinity. The data 

 received was not such that it furnished a very reliable basis for jiositive 

 conclusions ami was oidy useful in connect ion with other information 

 secured in a variety of wavs. in some cases it must be remembered that 



