Spencer.] ^1^ ' [March 18, 



The Grand River Valley. The Grand river of Ontario rises in the 

 County of Gray, not more than twenty-five miles from Georgian bay. 

 Thence it flows southward, and at Elora tlie river assumes a conspicuous 

 feature. Here it cuts through the Guelph Dolomites to a depth of about 80 

 feet and forms a canon about 100 feet in width with vertical walls. At this 

 place it is joined by a rivulet from the west, which has formed a tributary 

 canon similar to that of the Grand river itself. 



The country in this region is so flat that it appears as a level plane. 

 Farther southward the river winds over a broader bed, and at Gait the 

 present river valley occupies a portion of a broad depression in a country 

 indicating a former and much more extensive valley. In fact, the old river 

 valley existed in Preglacial times, for the present stream has re-excavated 

 onlj' a part of its old bed at Gait, leaving on the flanks of one of its banks 

 (both of which are) composed of Guelph Dolomites, a deposit of Post Ter- 

 tiary drift, in the form of a bed of large rounded boulders mostly of Lau- 

 rentian gneisses. The country for four miles south of Gait is of similar 

 character, forming a broad valley, in which the present river flows. At 

 this distance from Gait the river takes a turn to the south-westward ; but 

 at the same place, the old valley appears to pass in a nearly direct line with 

 the course of the present bed (before the modern turn is made to the west, 

 ward) . As this portion of the valley now entered, has not to any extent 

 been cleaned out by modern streams, it forms a broad shallow depression 

 in the country extending for a few miles in width. Yet, it is often occu- 

 pied with hills composed of stratified coarse gravel belonging to that belt, 

 which extends from Owen Sound to the County of Brent, and called by 

 the Canadian Geological Survey "Artemesia gravel." 



It is through a portion of this valley that the Fairchild's creek flows. 

 Many streams derive their supplies of water from the Beverly swamps, 

 which also feed the Lindsay creek, that empties over "Webster falls and 

 flows down Glen Spencer through the Dundas valley to Lake Ontario. 



The G. W. Railway, at four miles south of Gait, enters this valley and 

 continues in it or its branches as far as Harrisburg, though the deeper de- 

 pression is near St. George (a short distance Avest of Harrisburg). After 

 leaving what I consider its more ancient bed, south of Gait (unless the 

 country between the present bed and Fairchild's creek was an island), the 

 Grand river flows southward to Paris and Brantford, having a deep, broad 

 valley. At the latter place the valley may fairly be placed at a few miles 

 in width, while further to the eastward the river w'inds in an old course, 

 which had formerly a width of over four miles (see map). In the region 

 of Brantford the valley is bounded by a somewhat elevated plateau. At 

 Paris, Neith's creek enters the Grand river from the west, and has a val- 

 ley almost comparable in size witli that of the latter at this town. At 

 Paris, the Grand river cuts through the plaster-bearing Onondaga forma- 

 tion. Similar rocks appear at various places along the river, at places 

 where the river has cleaned out a portion of one side of its ancient valley. 



At the Great Western Railway crossing, east of Paris, the bed of the 



