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Spy Run and Poinsett Lake Bottoms*. 



By J. A. Price and Albert Shaaf. 



Spy Run and Poinsett Lake are located near Fort Wayne, Indiana, 

 and to understand their history a knowledge of the region about Fort 

 Wayne is necessary. This region is situated in that portion of the State 

 which was formerly covered by the Erie ice-lobe. At different periods 

 in its recession the end of the Erie ice-lobe was stationary, for a long 

 time depositing large terminal moraines. Four of such moraines were 

 thus formed, upon one of which, the first Erie moriane, Fort W^ayne is 

 located. 



The territoiy in question lies on the first Erie moraine, a full 

 description of which may be found in the Sixteenth, Seventeenth and 

 Eighteenth Annual Reports of the State Geologist, and in Charles Dryer's 

 "Studies of Indiana Geography." This moraine, a massive, well defined 

 ridge with a hommocky surface, enters the State at the southeast corner 

 of Adams County and follows the Wabash River to the northwest corner 

 of Wells County, running parallel to the present shore line of Lake Erie; 

 it then turns to the north and northeast and enters the southwest corner 

 of Allen County. Increasing in width, it continues in a northeasterly 

 direction and leaves the State at the northeast corner of Dekalb County. 



As the ice continued to recede a large lake was formed northeast of 

 the present site of Fort Wayne. The surplus waters of this glacial lake 

 were drained into the head waters of the Wabash through the Erie- Wa- 

 bash channel. Glacial Maumee Lake, as it was called, probably existed 

 for many years, but as its eastern bank was a massive wall of ice it 

 was doomed to destruction. As the ice melted the lake was slowly 

 drained until it was entirely destroyed, and as the waters of the lake 

 ebbed away its outlet dwindled and was finally silted up. St. Joseph and 

 St. Mary's rivers, which had emptied at the point where the Erie- Wabash 

 channel left the lake, now turned back and formed the Maumee, a slow, 

 sluggish, meandering stream which wound itself across the old lake 

 bottom. 



The territory covered by the accompanying map lies about one and a 

 half miles northwest of Fort Wayne, and north of the Wabash-Erie 



* Credit is due Robert Feustel for his work on the accompanying map. 



