NATURAL AREAS AND REGIONS 



279 



typical clay moraines, the birch, 

 aspen, and balsam fir are the chief 

 constituents of the new forest. Young 

 trees of Norway and white pine are 

 scattered throughout this formation, 

 but are not abundant, nor have they 

 over-topped the other trees. Springs 

 and streams are common throughout 

 the park- and there is considerable 

 variation both in the temperature and 

 the chemical nature of the waters they 

 contain. Some of the lakes are fed 

 largely from springs and their waters 

 are very rich in mineral content. 



The fauna of the Park is abundant 

 and varied. Streams pure and clear. 

 1500-1750 ft., rolling. 



(a) Park Rapids + 30 mi. north. 

 Great Northern R. R. mi. south of 

 Itasca P. O. Douglas Lodge, in Park 

 Clearwater County. O. O. R. 



*Pillsbury State Forest^. A tract of 

 land comprising 1000 acres situated 

 near the west shores of Gull Lake in 

 Oass County, Glacial topography con- 

 sisting of rolling, high moraines, alter- 

 nating with more or less level tracts and 

 swampy areas; mostly clayey and 

 gravelly soil. Originally covered for 

 the most part by eastern coniferous 

 forests in which Norway, white and jack 

 pines predominated; swamps mostly 

 tamarack and spruce. Second growth 

 consists mostly of poplar, birch, scrub 

 oak, willows, hazel and dogwood. Re- 

 forestation with the three above men- 

 tioned species of pine is being carried 

 out by the State Forest Service. 



The fauna embraces Virginia deer, 

 black bear, coyote, fox, muskrat, mink, 

 woodchuck, snowshoe hare, squirrel, 

 porcupine, skunk, and numerous species 

 of small rodents; aquatic birds nu- 

 merous. 



1200-1400 ft., rolling. 



(a) Brainerd +12 mi. N. W. N. P. 

 and Soo Line R. R. 6-8 mi. S. W. from 

 (a) Hubert. Cass County, Minn. C. 

 O. R. 



*Spirit Island Federal Game Reserve. 

 (A4.) A small rocky island situated 

 in Lake Mille Lacs, near its southern 

 end. It is about one acre in extent and 



is made up entirely of large, granite and 

 gneiss boulders, without any filling of 

 gravel and sand. It rises about 15 ft. 

 above the lake level and is the nesting 

 place of a colony of common terns, called 

 locally "gulls," and a considerable 

 number of purple martens. Various 

 species of waterfowl, inhabiting the 

 lake frequent the place but apparently 

 not for nesting purposes. 



1300 ft. 



(a) Waukon 4 mi. West. Soo Line 

 R. R. 5 mi. north of Cove, (c) Mille 

 Lacs County, Minnesota. C. O. R. 



2. Preserves of the deciduous forest and 

 prairie areas 



*Inter-state State Park\. (B4.) 

 About 720 acres on both sides of the St. 

 Croix River at the Dalles. The region 

 is of great interest geologically since 

 it represents an extensive outcrop of 

 Keweenawan rock. The river has cut 

 through this barrier and rushes between 

 vertical ledges of rock, towering a 

 hundred feet and more over the level 

 of the stream. On the west side of the 

 river, there is an extensive area of pot 

 holes, ranging in size from a few inches 

 in diameter and depth to large cisterns 

 up to 30 ft. in diameter and 50 or more 

 ft. deep. 



Forest formation composed of two 

 species of pine with many elements of 

 the northern coniferous forest, and 

 various species of oak, elm, ash, birch, 

 and maple together with a few other 

 deciduous trees like butternut, bass- 

 wood, aspen, cherry, and willows. Vege- 

 tation on the exposed trap rock is of 

 xerophytic nature and is largely com- 

 posed of lichens, mosses, a few pteri- 

 dophytes and of typical xerophytic 

 Angiosperms like Opuntia and Sedum. 



Along the heavily forested hillside 

 on the Wisconsin side are numerous 

 springs and marshy places where skunk 

 cabbage, calla lily, water hemlock, 

 saxifrage and chrysosplenium together 

 with other hydrophytes and mesophytes 

 abound. 



Because of the proximity of the park 

 to the villages of Taylors Falls and St. 



