MURRAY AND NOBLES COUNTIES. 519 



Natural drainage.] 



of Skandia, the most southern of the group being recently called Tibbett's lake; Lime lake, in the 

 township of this name, extending two miles west from Avoca; and Buffalo, Duck and Star lakes 

 and lake Eliza, which with others form a northwest to southeast series, three to four miles north- 

 east from the Des Moiues river and approximately parallel with it. 



Nobles county is divided to the basins of the Des Moines, Little Sioux 

 and Rock rivers. At the northeast an area of about 240 square miles is ' 

 drained eastward by Jack and Okabena creeks into Heron lake and the Des 

 Moines river. Elk creek, rising in Elk township, flows east across the 

 south part of Hersey, and joins Okabena creek a short distance after cross- 

 ing the east line of Nobles county. 



The portion tributary to the Little Sioux river and thus to the Mis- 

 souri, is principally drained by Ocheyedan or Ocheeda creek, and embraces 

 about 90 square miles. 



The remainder of this county, including about 390 square miles or 

 slightly more than half its area, is tributary to the Rock river, by Cham- 

 pepadan, Elk and Kanaranzi creeks and the Little Rock river ; making, 

 with the tract in the Little Sioux basin, 480 square miles, approximately, 

 drained to the Missouri river. 



Lakes in Nobles caunty. In the western third of Nobles county and thence westward, there 

 are no lakes, or they are very rare and of small area. This region lies on the southwest side of 

 the outer moraine of the last glacial epoch, at which time it lay beyond the boundaries of the ice- 

 fields, though in an earlier cold epoch it was deeply covered by ice and is overspread with its un- 

 modified drift or till. Farther past, this county has frequent lakes. The West and East Graham 

 lakes, respectively two and three miles long, both trendii g southwesterly, give name to Graham 

 Lakes township ; and another township is named from Indian lake, in its sections 27 and 34, 

 about a mile long from north to south, with a maximum depth of fifteen feet. West Okabena 

 lake, nearly two miles long and about a half mile wide, lies at the west side of the town of Worth- 

 ington. Tliis and the next are not tributary to Okabena creek, from which, however, the West 

 Okabena lake is separated by only a low, marshy tract of small width, and an ice-heaped ridge of 

 gravel and sand along which a road is built; but at its stage of high water in spring this lake has 

 its outlet into the East Okabena lake, of nearly as great area, close east of Worthington, which 

 at such time overflows southward into lake Ocheeda, and through this into Ocheyedan creek. 

 Lake Ocheeda is about six miles long, trending from northeast to southwest, reaching from sec- 

 tion 32, Lorain, to the center of Bigelow, with a width that varies from an eighth of a mile or 

 less to a half or two-thirds of a mile. Mr. A. Miner, civil engineer, of Worthington, reports the 

 maximum depth of West Okabena lake to be twenty-five feet ; of the East Okabena lake, fifteen 

 feet; and of Lake Ocheeda, in its northeast part, twenty feet. West Okabena lake is estimated 

 to be twelve feet below the railroad at Worthington station, or 1,570 feet above the sea, and 

 this is one foot above East Okabena lake. Lake Ocheeda is estimated by Mr. Miner to be four 

 or five feet lower, being thus 1,565 feet, very nearly, above the sea. 



Topography. The Coteau des Prairies in Murray and Nobles counties 

 declines in hight from northwest to southeast. In Nobles county the most 

 elevated portion of this highland reaches from the south and southwest 

 part of Indian Lake township and the east part of Bigelow, north-north- 



