208 TIIE GEOLOGY OF MINNESOTA. 



[Topography. 



generally almost impervious to water, so that these deep drainage courses 

 do not operate to abstract the moisture from the surface soils so disastrous- 

 ly as they would in more sandy soils. It is only along the immediate river 

 bluffs that any injury to the soils from this cause is noticeable. These 

 streams furnish water power at frequent points, even more than have been 

 improved. At some of these points the following flouring mills have been 

 erected : 



Mills in Houston county. 



At Riceford, on Crystal creek, one custom mill, by Oatman & Co., having a power of 18 feet 

 head. This creek issues from the rock bluffs within a few miles of Hiceford, nearly all in one 

 volume. 



At Riceford Mr. V. T. Beebe also has a custom mill with 12 feet head of water. 



There is a custom mill on Bear creek, near the state line, (sec. 34, Spring Grove) owned by 

 Mr. Swartzhoff. 



At Freeburg, on Crooked creek, is a custom mill owned by Hill and Graff, with 16 feet head 

 of water, and a saw mill owned by Wm. Oxford. Here are also two other mill privileges. 



On Winnebago creek, (sec. 22, Winnebago) is a stone mill owned by B. F. Barbour, and on 

 section 15 a custom mill owned by McMillin. Johnson & Clark. 



At Sheldon, on Beaver creek, is a mill of 12 feet power, owned by John Blain, and another 

 of the same power, by Snyder Brothers. 



J. & C. B. Howe have a saw mill on section 24, Yucatan. 



Nathan Vance has a flouring mill on section 12, Money Creek, with 12 feet fall. Fox and 

 Perkins have another on sec. 30, with 10 feet power, from which shipments are made by railroad. 



There is a mill at Houston with 7 feet fall, in the Root river, belonging to Mr. Grorsland. 



There is a shipping and custom mill, southeast J section 23, Houston, with 20 feet power, 

 owned by Wm. McSpadden. 



At Brownsville are two mills, one by Shaller Bros., of two run of stone and 12 feet power, for 

 shipping flour, and the other by J. Hankey. of five feet power and one run for custom. 



At Hokah all the mills ship flour. One is owned by C. Fischer, situated on Thompson creek, 

 and has 24 feet of water fall ; another by White & Brothers, and a third by E. Thompson. The 

 last two have a fall of 9 feet in Root river. At Hokah the railroad machine shops, and the plow 

 factory also run by water power. 



There is also a mill on Pine creek, near the county line (sec. 3, La Crescent), with four run 

 of stone (one for feed), and 13 feet fall and 16 horse-power, owned by Groff & Co., for custom 

 and shipping ; has one Leffel and one Michigan turbine wheel ; and another on the same creek 

 southwest quarter section 9, by J. D. Cameron, having 9 feet fall and four run of stone, for 

 shipping. 



The Toledo woolen mill, by Fletcher and Webster, southwest quarter of section 5, La Cres- 

 cent, on Pine creek, has 7 feet power. This is built of stone quarried near. 



The topography of Houston county is very similar to that of the eastern, 

 and particularly that of the northeastern part of Fillmore county, and of 

 much of Winona county. Taken altogether it is produced by the same 

 causes. The strata cover the same geological horizons, at least the same in 

 the non-drift-covered portions. It varies from undulating to rough and 

 hilly. The surface of the rock was channeled by numerous canons, each with 

 its tributary gorges, prior to the spreading of the loam. These gorges are 



