\\ HITESIDE COUNTY. 



Rock river enters the county at the center of its -a>t -rn boundary 

 line, and takes its exit in its south-western corner. Its general course 

 is straight, its deviations crooked and many; its current is broad and 

 swift flowing : its banks are high, except in a few places where alluvial 

 bottoms spread out. Otter creek coines in from Carroll county and soon 

 almost loses itself in the swamps of Willow Island lake, a few miles 

 above Fulton city. Rock creek comes into the county about the center 

 of its northern boundary line, flows in long undulating curves almost 

 south-west, and enters Rock river at Erie. Elkhoru creek comes in 

 near the north-eastern corner. Tuns in the same general course, and 

 enters Rock river at Como, a few miles below Sterling. Buffalo and 

 Sugar creeks are tributaries to Elkhorn, coming in on the east side. 



Reck creek has three or four good water powers in operation. The 

 mills at Sterling are driven by one of the heaviest powers in the State. 

 On Elkhorn creek two or three mills are in operation. On Buffalo creek 

 one mill has been running since the days of the first settlements in that 

 part of the State. Many other seats for fine water powers exist on all 

 these streams. Rock river, at many localities in the county, would fur- 

 nish water powers almost as heavy as the one at Sterling. At these lo- 

 calities the stream always flows over a floor of solid rock. By construc- 

 ting coffer dams and partially turning the river out of its channel while 

 the work is going on, materials for the most enduring dams may be 

 quarried at the places where needed. 



It will thus be seen that, altogether, Whiteside comity is rather 

 sparsely timbered. It is well watered and well supplied with water pow- 

 ers : has abundant agricultural and manufacturing resources ; has a di- 

 versified surface ; and I am now to describe its interesting and varied 

 geological formations. 



Geological formations. 



These consist of Quaternary deposits of more than usual interest ; un- 

 productive Carboniferous rocks of the true coal horizon; sandstones be- 

 longing to the Conglomerates or -Millstone grits." lying at the base of 

 the true Coal Measures: heavy developments of the Niagara limestone: 

 widely extended outcrops of the Cincinnati rocks and shales ; and con- 

 siderable exposures of the Lead rocks or Galena limestone. Building 

 them into a vertical section, the examined outcrops measure about as 

 follows : 



Sections of Whittside County Bocks. 



The usual Quaternary deposits, from 10 to 80 feet. 



Carboniferous rocks, shales, etc., from 10 to 40 



Millstone-grit sandstone from 12 to 25 



2s iapara limestone, from 24 to 175 



Cincinnati group, from 10 to 37 



Galena limestone, from 15 to 30 



