THE MONSON DRAINAGE. 5(^7 



opens southwardly froiii the Quaboag at Pahner and runs soutli across 

 Monson (occupied by the New London Northern Railroad) as far as South 

 Monson, that the waters, conlined l)y the high ground which borders the 

 valley, ran down over the ice and formed the Monson esker (k). This now 

 stretches as a marked ridge south from a point west of the second bridge 

 over the Monson Brook at W. Leach's, crosses the brook at North Monson, 

 and runs down its east side to Monson village. From this point the whole 

 valley, grown broader, is filled with an enormous accunndation (.f s;inds, 

 mostly finely sorted and of great thickness, at times containing great sheets 

 of coarse, indeed of the coarsest, gravel, all of well-rounded i)ebbles inter- 

 calated in the most irregular and indescribable manner, the suiface being 

 also pitted by deep kettle-holes. These sands rise to a, height of 6(!0 to 

 680 feet, and as the greatest height of the divide at the State line, where 

 the valley narrows to a canyon and where the sources of the Monson 

 Brook flowing north and the Willimansett flowing south now approacli 

 closely, is G2U feet, the waters must have passed through this gorge with 

 great de^jth and velocity. 



I have marked an ice front (b^, PI. XXXV, D) across the deep Monson 

 Valle}- at a point where at its south end the esker meets the high gravels, 

 which here expand suddenly to fill the whole valley, as this represents the 

 point where the esker-forming stream flowed off" from or out from under 

 the front of the ice lobe, Avhose irregular advances have thrown the sand 

 beds into so great confusion. 



THE MONSON DRAINAGE. 

 THE EASTERN PALMER AND MONSON LAKE. 



In order to understand the complex series of transient lakes and river 

 courses (1 m) which followed ui)on the gradual recession of tlie ice from the 

 point where it held back the waters of the Brimfield Lake, we nuist studv 

 with some detail the configuration of the region about the point of conflu- 

 ence of the four branches of the Chicopee River, which can best be done 

 with the large topographic map on the mile scale (Palmer sheet). 



The Quaboag (the east branch of the Chicopee), where it enters the 

 county, leaves its transverse valley to flow south along the east side of 

 Palmer in a deep longitudinal valley to the southeast corner of the town 

 at Fentonville, where it turns west again in a transverse vallev. Just 



