PILLMORE COUNTY. 319 



Lead. Quicklime. J 



with ochery impurities, and bears a close resemblence to some bog-ore de- 

 posits; but its occurrence on high land, instead of in swamps, necessitates 

 some other explanation for its existence than that ascribed to the occur- 

 rence of most bog-ore deposits. It may have originated during that 

 swampy condition of southern Minnesota when the peat grew that is em- 

 braced in the drift deposits, as already detailed. It is not probable that it 

 will ever be found valuable for the manufacture of iron. Before the opening 

 up of the vast and richer iron ore beds of Michigan and Missouri, the bog- 

 ores were considerably used in the production of iron, on a small scale, in 

 several of the western states, but the small furnaces that smelted them 

 have all ceased operations many years ago. Another obstacle to the utili- 

 zation of this deposit in Fillmore county will be the lack of fuel in conven- 

 ient and sufficient quantities. 



Lead. While the Galena limestone, which is eminently" lead-bearing 

 at Dubuque and Galena, passes in its northwestern trend across the south- 

 western portion of Fillmore county, it has not been discovered to afford the 

 same amount of lead as in Iowa and Illinois. Indeed, at points more re- 

 mote from the Mississippi river, in Iowa, no remarkable deposits of lead 

 have been obtained from it. There is not a total absence of lead from its 

 layers, since a few localities are known to have afforded it in limited quan- 

 tities. The same is true of the Trenton; which seems to indicate that the 

 presence of lead in the limestones of this region does not depend on the 

 kind or age of the formation, but rather on some later, superimposed con- 

 ditions that prevailed over the region, subjecting various formations to the 

 same influences. 



Quicklime. All the limestones of the county are suitable for quicklime, 

 but by far the greater quantity is made from the Galena. In *he townships 

 of Sumner and Spring Valley all the circumstances necessary for the cheap 

 and rapid production of quicklime of the best quality co-exist, viz.: a suit- 

 able limestone, abundant [exposure, and plenty of fuel. The Galena there 

 forms some of its characteristic outcrops, constituting the bluffs of the streams 

 continuously for many miles, and rising a hundred or a hundred and fifty 

 feet above the valleys. The kilns are built at the foot of the bluff, and the 

 stone is cheaply obtained, without much cost of transportation. Wood is 



