366 THE GEOLOGY OF MINNESOTA. 



I Material resources. 



settled with farmers. Along the valleys of the streams in the eastern and 

 western portions of the county, the first settlements took place, and in 

 those valleys are found the most of the population at this time. The prin- 

 cipal natural wealth of the county lies in its soil and its agricultural adap- 

 tations. The people are generally farmers. The growth of the county in 

 all respects will be primarily dependant on, and co-ordinate with, the set- 

 tlement of the farming lands, and their profitable tillage. There is some 

 water-power in the county, as at Austin, and below Austin to the county 

 line, and at Le Roy and Ramsey, and it is well improved in the erection of 

 flouring mills. Mower county contains no peat, and cannot hope for coal. 

 The rocks that underlie the county cannot be depended on for producing 

 anything but building stone and quicklime. Of the former some of the 

 limestone would produce a good marble, if properly handled. That is the 

 case particularly at Le Roy. For making quicklime there is ample oppor- 

 tunity. The only difficulty will be a competition with other localities from 

 which transportation is light, that possess cheaper fuel for calcination. 

 Red brick can be made at almost any place in the county. This has been 

 demonstrated at Austin, Lansing, Le Roy and Frankford. At present 

 there is no great demand for brick, and several establishments that were 

 started have suspended operations. 



The Mower county court house, just finished, is one of the finest in the 

 state. It is built of red pressed-brick from St. Louis, but red brick from 

 Austin were used in the inner walls. The outside basement walls are of 

 dimension rock from Mankato, but the inner walls and general foundation 

 are of the stone quarried at A ustin. The steps leading to the front entrance 

 are of the pinkish Kasota stone. The porch, with its carved capitals and 

 columns, is of gray sandstone from Berea, Ohio. All the window tops and 

 and the cap and sill courses are also of the Berea sandrock. The cornice 

 and frieze, and the brackets, are of galvanized iron. The Masonic block, at 

 Austin, is also trimmed with the Ohio stone. 



Mr. L. G. Basford's residence has window-caps cut from the Austin 

 stone, now standing fourteen years (1883). They are in good preservation, 

 but are covered with paint. In other places in the city this rock is break- 

 ing up under the weather, especially in exposed steps and sills. 



