BIG SPRING PRAIRIE. 25 



slope of West Ridge and the locality just across the 

 Hocking Valley R. R., where the Niagara limestone 

 lies within a foot or two of the surface. 



The northern portion of the prairie from Spring- 

 ville westward was drained by the outlet mentioned in 

 the treaty, which was made with the Wyandot Indians 

 in 1818. The Blanchard River is about five or six 

 miles west from the western boundary of the Indian 

 Reservation. In the treaty this would scarcely be re- 

 ferred to as the head-waters of Blanchard's Folk, so 

 there must have been a tributary of this name suffi- 

 ciently open to warrant mention. According to the 

 testimony of the older settlers, there was no well-defined 

 open stream in 1840. Blanchard's Fork must have 

 gradually become clogged up by an encroaching growth 

 of cattails, sedges, grasses, water-plants, and arrow- 

 leafs: thus producing the sluggish outlet frequently 

 mentioned by the old settlers. 



The southwestern extremity of prairie near Vanlue 

 had a broad sluggish drainage to the southwest along 

 two shallow valleys. 



Whether all of these outlets existed when the area 

 was a lake, or originated after it had developed to the 

 marsh type, it is difficult to determine: but, most prob- 

 ably the outlet was the only one, the others originating 

 after the surface of marsh was built up higher than the 

 original level of the lake. 



This would seem to be a natural consequence, for 

 there are several areas of limited extent in various por- 

 tions of the prairie which would corroborate this view. 

 These areas are elevated several feet above the sur- 

 rounding level, although they consist of muck, of as 

 great or greater depth than the adjoining portions. 

 This greater elevation of a portion of a marsh is a com- 

 mon formation in a Sphagnum swamp. The writer 

 has never been able to find any Sphagnum whatever 

 on this area, or any traces of it in the muck, although 



