FAKIBAULT COUNTY. 455 



Topography.] 



from the southeast part of the county westerly to Blue Earth City; and 

 from its west boundary easterly to the Blue Earth river. 



Lakes. Faribault county has frequent lakes, the largest of which is Minnesota lake, two 

 and a quarter miles long from east to west and one to one and a half miles wide, lying in the 

 northwest part of Minnesota Lake township, with its north edge reaching into Blue Earth county. 

 Others deserving .mention are Rice lake, in Delavan, three and a half miles long from north to 

 south, and averaging about a half mile in width; Bass lake, north of the last, and only divided 

 from it by a low and narrow ridge; Swan lake, about two-thirds of a mile long, with two or three 

 others of smaller size, forming a group near the center of Barber township ; Ozahtanka lake, 

 having an area of about two square miles, in Barber and Emerald; Walnut lake, also covering 

 about two square miles, in the south part of Walnut Lake township, and extending south into 

 Brush Creek and Foster; Goose and Swan lakes, within a mile farther south in Brush Creek; ami 

 five lakes, from a half mile to one and one-fourth miles in length, lying in the southwest part of 

 the county, in Jo Daviess and Pilot Grove townships. 



Topography. The greater part of this county has a slightly undulating 

 or often nearly flat surface, with slopes ot very gentle and commonly im- 

 perceptible descent toward the water-courses. The streams have channeled 

 from thirty to one hundred feet into the drift, which forms the surface and 

 everywhere covers the county so deeply that the bed-rocks have no exposure 

 within its limits. The East branch of the Blue Earth river at Clayton, in 

 the north edge of Seely township, flows 30 feet below the general level; at 

 Blue Earth City the valley is 50 feet deep; and northward through Verona 

 and Winnebago City, its depth increases from 50 to 90 or 100 feet. Its 

 bottomland, five to twenty feet above the stream, is mainly from a quarter 

 to a half of a mile wide, bordered by steep bluffs that rise to the almost flat 

 expanse qf till upon which Blue Earth City and Winnebago City are built, 

 and which covers the whole county excepting two belts of morainic hills. 

 One of these extends from Kiester, in the southeast corner of the county, 

 northwestward nearly to Delavan ; and the other, which lies mostly in 

 Iowa, includes the southern edge of Elmore and Pilot Grove. Many fur- 

 ther details respecting the contour are stated in a later part of this chapter, 

 in the description of the drift. 



Elevations on the Southern Minnesota division of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paid railway. 

 From George B. Woodworth, assistant engineer, La Crosse. 



Miles from Feet above 

 La Crosse. the sea. 



Dood's switch, near the east line of the county 139.7 1189 



Wells 144.4 1153 



Junction of the Mankato branch 144.7 1145 



Minnesota Lake station, on this branch 153.0 1038 



Easton 153.3 1046 



Summit, grade 157.1 1077 



Delavan ...159.2 1057 



Depression, grade 159.6 1047 



