GEOLOGY OP HAMILTON, WARREN AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES 153 



Lake Pleasant 



Topography. Lake Pleasant is a long and relatively narrow 

 township, lying north and west from Wells, and southwest from 

 Indian Lake. It is one of the largest townships in the county, 

 being some 25 miles from north to south and about 8 miles from 

 east to west. The southern third of the town is largely occupied 

 by a broad valley containing Lake Pleasant, Sacandaga lake, 

 Fawn lake, Hamilton lake, and running westward into Arietta 

 township, with Oxbow lake on the border and Piseco lake just 

 over the line. In this valley most of the population is located. 

 The village of Lake Pleasant is the county seat, and Speculator, 

 formerly called Newton Corners, is another hamlet. Each con- 

 tain a few hundred people, but are popular resorts during the 

 summer months. Fawn, Oxbow and Piseco lakes drain oif to 

 the southwest into the west branch of the Sacandaga, while 

 Lake Pleasant and Sacandaga lake discharge to the north into 

 the Jessup river and so out to Indian lake and the Indian river. 



The general elevation of this portion is moderate, ranging about 

 1700 feet A. T., and the hills are of comparatively slight altitude. 

 Speculator mountain on the east side of Lake Pleasant attains 

 2500 feet and is the most prominent summit of all. It is quite 

 possible that the open character of this area is in part due to the 

 presence of crystalline limestones, of which we have found con- 

 siderable outcrops. 



As one goes north, however, the country becomes more rugged, 

 and the higher summits attain notable altitudes. Dry mountain, 

 in the central part of the town, is 3260 feet above tide, and 

 other neighboring peaks are but little less. Still farther north 

 the mountains reach higher levels. The Blue Ridge is 3865; 

 Lewey, 3740; Cedar, 3402; two unnamed peaks attain 3723 and 

 3685, as shown by the Indian Lake sheet of the United States 

 geological survey. All these peaks lie along large ridges, whose 

 trend is markedly northeast and southwest, and the lakes and 

 streams likewise have this general direction. As a rule the 

 ridges are separated by narrow valleys but in the case of the 

 Lewey lake — Indian lake depression and the Cedar river flow, 



