26 RURAL NEW YORK 



drained into the Mississippi Eiver through the Mau- 

 mee Kiver in northwestern Ohio, These were the 

 Warren and Newberry stages of the lake. Gravel, 

 sand, clay and other sediments were accumulated in 

 these lakes, of which the gravel beaches on the Erie 

 plain southwest of Buffalo on which the " Ridge 

 road " is located are representatives. Later, as the 

 ice retreated further north and the Mohawk Valley 

 was cleared, a great lake was formed on the On- 

 tario plain with its shore at the foot of the Niagara 

 escarpment. This had its outlet eastward into the 

 Hudson Valley and formed a great sand and gravel 

 delta between Schenectady and Albany. This level 

 of the lake built up a well defined sand and gravel 

 beach that is readily traced from Lewiston on the 

 Niagara Eiver to Sodus on the shore of Lake On- 

 tario. It is occupied throughout its course by an 

 important public highway, another " Eidge road " 

 lined by fruit-farms based in part on the materials 

 that make up this beach. Other lake levels are rec- 

 ognized further north. The St. Lawrence Valley 

 was flooded to a much higher level than at present. 

 Likewise the Champlain Valley was occupied by a 

 lake. A subsidence of the land ih the eastern part 

 of the State, due perhaps to the weight of the mass of 

 ice, permitted the sea water to enter this valley at 

 one stage. A glacial lake filled part of the Hudson 

 Valley as far south as northern Dutchess County. 

 In all these lakes more or less clay was deposited 

 where the water was deep and quiet. These differ 



