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The Flatwoods Region of Owen and Monroe 

 Counties, Indiana. 



Clyde A. Malott. 



EXTENT AND TOPOGRAPHY. 



Lying between Ellettsville, Monroe County, and Spencer, Owen County, 

 Ind., is a strip of territory some six miles long and averaging about two 

 miles wide, which has been the object of considerable curiosity and study. 

 It is a low level basin nearly surrounded by higher land, yet having several 

 openings in the surrounding periphery of hills. 



The surface of the region is mainly an ash-colored soil of a fine tex- 

 ture, containing very little sand. It is in reality a silt region at the 

 surface, and its outline is clearly discernible at the margin of the basin. 

 This silt region, or its outline, is the principal means of determining the 

 margin of the region, as indicated by the map. It coincides for the most 

 part with the foot of the hills surrounding the basin. Here and there 

 in the basin a hill rises out of the silt region somewhat as an island out 

 of the water, and frequently a hill-like peninsula protrudes out into the 

 region, rising high above the ash-colored silt margin. 



The silt margin lying about the foot of the hills is rather uniform 

 in height, averaging close to the 760-foot contour line, excepting at the 

 northeast margin, where it extends much higher. This region of the Flat- 

 woods area is also exceptional in regard to the periphery. Elsewhere, 

 except at the openings, the hills surrounding the area rise rather suddenly 

 above the basin; but here the margin is scarcely discernible, as the slope 

 is very gradual and seems rather to fade out instead of being abrupt. 

 This phnomenoii is one of considerable importance and will be discussed 

 later. 



Lying in the long axis of the region is MeCormicks Creek. This 

 stream drains about nine-tenths of Flatwoods. Its head is about seven 

 nundred fifty feet above sea level, one and one-half miles west of Elletts- 

 ville. The first few miles of its course is over the flat plain of the basin. 

 which gvies it but little fall. After leaving Section :!(!. T. In X. U. :i W.. the 



