FORESTRY SURVEY 263 



Freedom Township (Map III). 



The yalley of Big Indian Creek upon leaving Earl trav- 

 erses the northeast corner of the prairie township of Free- 

 dom. Associated with this stream are 1500 acres of tim- 

 ber and bottom land soil that were doubtless originally 

 very completely covered with forests. These have been so 

 completely cut otf that it is only by a most liberal inter- 

 pretation of what constitutes a forest that we are able to 

 include within that category as many as 120 acres of 

 woodland. Scattered stumps still persist over an almost 

 equal area. The stream valley is here about 60 feet below 

 the level of the upland and the flood plain about a hun- 

 dred yards in width. This flood plain is very completely 

 stripped of trees, only isolated specimens being scattered 

 here and there. Among them were noticed Kentucky cof- 

 fee trees, blue ash (F. quadranguJata), sycamore, elm, 

 and papaw (Asimina frUoha). 



The forest remnants are of the upland oak type into 

 which some of the bottom forest trees have intruded. Cull- 

 ing has taken out much of the better timber and in the 

 open stand maple, elm and ash are nearly as plentiful as 

 oak. All the areas are grazed and no reproduction is in 

 progi'e^s. 



In Section 3 on the east bank of the stream there is a 

 small area of about 10 acres marking the site of an Indian 

 massacre that took place in 1S30. In 1906 this tract was 

 made a state reserve under the name of Shabona Park. 

 The few trees on this plot are so scattered that the term 

 forest scarcely applies. 



In the southeast corner of the township, Section 36, a 

 fringe of possibly 5 acres of mixed forest borders Crooked 

 Leg Creek. 



Adams Township (Map IV). 



Little Indian Creek flows southward in a winding 

 course through the center of this township and with it are 

 associated about 2400 acres of upland timber and bottom 

 land soils, 90 per cent being of the former type. Upland 

 prairie soils form the slightly undulating surface of the 

 remainder of the township, the brown silt loam (1126) 

 predominating with occasional patches of darker color 

 (1125). 



