Sandusky Bay and Cedar Point 217 



The Bar Encroaching on the Marsh. 



In 1885 Albert Judson, county surveyor, found that the 

 west Hne of Huron Township had shortened "twelve rods" since 

 the original survey made by Almon Ruggles in 1807. Near Rye 

 Beach he found the shore had moved landward about "twenty 

 rods." A survey made by Rolla Chase in 1903 at the eastern 

 border of Rye Beach showed the lake had there encroached on 

 the land about 25 rods since 1816. The marsh at the outlet of 

 Sawmill Creek, just west of Rye Beach, formerly extended out 

 where the lake is now. The present marsh is well filled with liv- 

 ing buttonbushes. In the lake on the other side of the bar the 

 roots still stand where buttonbushes formerly grew. They have 

 been seen as far out from the present shore as "fifteen rods." 

 Some may also be seen projecting through the sand of the bare 

 beach and one of these was noticed with green leaves. The cut 

 bank and a few undermined trees show recent encroachment of 

 the lake on the part of the bar extending from Rye Beach a little 

 more than a mile. Some of the sand and gravel washed out has 

 been carried over onto the marsh as may be seen in a number of 

 places ; more of it has probably been transported along the beach 

 toward the northwest. 



At the mouth of the Black Channel I found that on the bar 

 near the bay shore the auger after being turned through three or 

 four feet of sand could be pushed to a depth of ten feet below 

 water showing that here the bar had encroached on the marsh. 

 This was Dec. 27, 1901. Attem,pts made the following month at 

 four other places on the bar were unsuccessful in finding muck. 

 In one of them the auger after boring 8 feet through the sand 

 was stopped by a pebble or other obstruction. In the others it 

 was turned after much labor to a depth of 11, 13, and 18 feet, and 

 pulled out with improvised levers and in the case of the deepest 

 a little turning. This led me to doubt whether the whole bar 

 had moved onto the marsh. However, Jan. 28, 1905, I found a 

 place in the marsh several rods from the bar where so much sand 

 was mingled with the muck as to make it impossible to push the 

 auger through it. The same day we succeeded in pushing the 

 auger through several feet of muck beneath the bar a little less 

 than two miles from Rye Beach. This convinced me that at 

 the places where I had failed to find muck, the reason was that 

 it had become so filled with sand as to prevent pushing the auger 

 through it. In one at least of the places where trial was made 

 Jan., 1902, the sand brought up was blackened with organic 

 matter. 



At the Carrying Ground the bar rests on marsh muck and 

 the muck extends out under the lake at least 38 rods, probably 



