338 THE GLACIAL LAKE AGASSIZ. 



stream, fed by very cold springs, and thence to the secondary Herman 

 beach near Larimore it has cut a valley 50 to 90 feet deep. 



Elm Grove, comprising about 5 acres, is on this creek, a third of a mile 

 east of the upper Herman shore-line, which continues north-northwestward 

 tlu'ough the southwest part of section 18, Elm Grove Township, and the 

 northeast edge of section 13, Niagai-a, to the west side of Little Elm 

 Grove, 10 acres or more in extent, in the east part of section 12. Along 

 this distance of 1^ miles the surface presents a very favorable slope, from 

 1,150 to 1,200 feet elevation, on which a beach ridge or definite beach 

 deposits would usually be found well developed ; but the waves and cur- 

 rents of Lake Agassiz could not act efficiently here, because this area lay 

 in the lee of islands and of a wave-formed bar or beach several miles to 

 the east, which are the eastern boundary of the Elk Valley. Consequently 

 deposits of beach sand and gravel are scanty on the upper western shore 

 of Lake Agassiz here and for 40 miles northward along the extent of the 

 Elk and Golden valleys, east of which a naiTow chain of islands and bars 

 rose above the surface of Lake Agassiz dm-ing its highest Herman stage. 

 Between the South Branch of Turtle River and Little Elm Grove the 

 beach formation consists only of a thin covering of sand and gravel spread 

 on the sloping area of till, at an elevation from 1,160 to 1,175 feet. Sev- 

 eral of the small grassy channels eroded here, diy excepting in spring and 

 times of excessive rain, are almost completely paved with stones up to 1 or 

 2 feet in diameter, but few stones occur upon the adjoining surface of till. 



From the Little Elm Grove the highest western shore of Lake Agassiz 

 (consisting of a similar slope of till ascending gently westward, with incon- 

 spicuous deposits of beach gravel and sand, not accumulated in any distinct 

 ridge, but probably recognizable almost continuously) extends northward 

 through sections 12 and 1, Niagara, and sections 31 and 30, Agnes, to the 

 central part of Bachelors Grove, which it passes tln-ough in the west half 

 of section 30. This grove borders the head stream of Turtle River for 1^ 

 miles, with an average width of about a quarter of a mile, thus comprising 

 approximately 250 acres. It is dense woods, chiefly elm and basswood in 

 its east half, but nearly all bur oak for the west half Much bur oak is 

 also found along several miles of this stream next westward, but it is not 



