424 PLEISTOCENE OF INDIANA AND MICHIGAN. 



About 3 miles east of Pellston the upper beach runs in moderate strength, mostly as a 

 wave-cut bluff but in places is a gravel ridge, around a high island about 3 miles long and over 

 a mile wide. A plain of outwash gravels extends eastward from this island, and along its 

 north edge a heavy bar facing over Douglas Lake, apparently representing the upper Algon- 

 quin beach, extends across between Douglas and Burt lakes to join the north end of Topinabee 

 Island and the larger island to the north. 



East of Alanson and filling most of the space between Burt Lake on the east and Pickerel 

 and Crooked lakes on the west, the upper Algonquin beach is finely developed around the sides, 

 especially on the north and east sides, of an island 3 or 4 miles in length and breadth. 



Three larger islands are set close together in the area north of Crooked Lake and Little 

 Traverse Bay and west of the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railway. They are barely separated 

 from each other by swampy troughs at or slightly below the upper Algonquin level. The 

 opening of each trough is bridged across by a bar of the upper beach. 



The northern island of the three lies between Levering on the east and Canby on the west 

 and between Ely on the south and the long straight stretch of the upper beach which runs 

 about 8 miles west-northwest from the tie bar 2 miles north of Levering. This may be called 

 Levering Island. 



The upper beach is very irregular in its course and weak in its development along the east 

 side of Levering Island, both on account of the protection of the islands to the east and south 

 and to the shallowness of the water. Along the north and west sides the whole series of Algon- 

 quin beaches is developed in great strength and fine form. These shores were exposed to the 

 severest storms from the north and west, and their shore lines are particularly fine around 

 the most northerly point 2 miles south of Sucker Creek and around the embayment of Wycamp 

 Lake. A strong bar ties this island to the western island on the south side of this bay. 



The other island east of the main trough is pear shaped, with its pointed end at Ely on the 

 north and its base along the north side of Crooked Lake. Brutus and Alanson are on its east 

 side and Pleasant View on its west. It may be called Brutus Island. Despite its protected 

 position and the shallowness of the water along its east side the upper beach is quite well devel- 

 oped. Toward Alanson and north of Oden and Conway the Algonquin upper group is developed 

 in great strength. Between Alanson and Oden heavy cuspate bars were formed at several 

 levels by the shore drift from the west and north. 



The western (Readmond) island is the largest of the three, filling the entire space between 

 Little Traverse Bay and Wycamp Lake and between Lake Michigan and the trough that runs 

 north and south from Pleasant View. This island measured 14 miles from north to south 

 and about 8 miles from east to west. Around its north, west, and south sides the upper group 

 of Algonquin beaches is displayed in great strength and typical form, except where it has been 

 cut away by the lake at lower levels. The best-preserved parts are between Middle Village 

 and Canby. From 2 miles north of Middle Village to the head of Little Traverse Bay the lower 

 members of the Algonquin group have been mostly cut away. For 2 miles southeast of Apple- 

 ton and for a short distance east of Harbor Springs the upper beach has been cut away, in both 

 places by the Nipissing waves. Just back of Harbor Springs a trough coming from the north 

 is barred by the highest Algonquin beach of coarse gravel and sand, which is 100 yards or more 

 broad and stands about 15 feet above the valley back of it. This spit now ends abruptly on 

 the edge of the steep bluff which rises 100 feet above the Nipissing beach, but at one time it 

 apparently extended farther east. 



Mackinac and near-by islands. — Mackinac Island, 1 which lies about 15 miles north of Lever- 

 ing Island, splendidly displays all the beaches from the upper Algonquin down. The upper 

 Algonquin group is as well displayed here as at any other locality known, five very strong 

 beaches next below the highest being well displayed on the short target range back of Fort 

 Mackinac, and the highest beach, 40 or 50 rods farther north, being followed by the road from 



i Some of the beaches on Mackinac Island were described by the writer in 1S92 (The highest old shore line on Mackinac Island: Am. Jour. Sci., 

 3d ser., vol. 43, 1892, pp. 210-218). 



