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The Headwaters of the Tippecanoe River. 



By J. T. Scoveix. 



The Wabash is the great river of Indiana. It rises in Ohio, flows 

 westerly across Indiana, then southerly along the western boundary of the 

 State into the Ohio River. The Tippecanoe River is the chief tributary of 

 the Wabash from the north. 



The Tippecanoe has its sources in two groups of lakes situated in the 

 southwestern part of Noble County and in the northern part of Whitley 

 County, Indiana. 



Crane Lake and Crooked Lake, through short outlets, flow into Big or 

 Tippecanoe Lake. Goose Lake, New Lake and Old Lake flow into Loon 

 Lake. The outlet of Tippecanoe Lake flows westerly and northerly about 

 two miles, where it joins the outlet of Loon Lake, forming Tippecanoe 

 River. This stream flows northwesterly about five miles into Smalley 

 Lake, and thence westerly 1% miles into Baughner Lake, thence south of 

 west through marslies and ponds 1% miles into a mill-pond, called "the 

 Dam ;" thence northwesterly through Kaiser Lake, the Backwater and 

 the Channel about S 1 /^ miles into Boydstone Lake, in the eastern part of 

 Kosciusko County ; thence westerly about two miles into Tippecanoe Lake, 

 of Kosciusko County. 



Through the greater part of this distnnce there is quite a distinct 

 valley. It varies greatly in width and in the bight and steepness of its 

 bluffs. This valley, these lakes and ponds, the marshes and connecting 

 streams are in or on a mass of glacial materials that was probably de- 

 posited from the Erie Lobe of the continental ice sheet. These materials 

 help to form what Frank Leverett calls the Mississinewa Moraine. This 

 moraine extends from White County northwesteisly to Steuben County. It 

 covers Noble County and large parts of Steuben, Lagrange, Dekalb, Whit- 

 ley, Kosciusko, Fulton, Wabash, Miami, Cass and White counties. It in- 

 cludes the northern portion of Dr. C. R. Dryer's Mississinewa — Eel Mo- 

 raine. 



Dr. Dryer says "it is an irregular, variously undulating pile of clay, 

 sand, gravel and boulders, with a total thickness of from 200 to 4S5 feet. 



