MIAMI COUNTY. 477 



Morris, of Troy. This gentleman has many specimens of natural his- 

 tory in his cabinet, and some relics of a past race of men. I saw the 

 tooth of a mastodon in possession of Mr. C. S. Coolidge, of Troy. The 

 tooth was found on the farm of Mr. Abram Beadle, about north of Troy. 



PDELIC IMPROVEMENTS. 



The account of these works does not properly belong to the purpose of 

 this investigation, but as they depend largely upon the physical charac- 

 ter of the country, it will not be out of place to speak of them. Refer- 

 ence has already been made in these pages to the admirable system of 

 graded and graveled roads, which connect all parts of the county to- 

 gether. The Miami and Erie canal passes through the county from north 

 to south, near the right bank of the Miami River, and affords water-power 

 for manufactories at Piqua, Troy, and Tippecanoe, and at some other 

 points. At Piqua and at Troy there were in process of construction, at 

 the time of my visit (1872), ext^sive works to make available the large 

 water-privileges of the canal and river for manufacturing purposes. 

 While the actual success of these enterprises remains to be seen, there 

 seems to be no reasonable doubt in regard to it. If success does crown 

 these efforts, the result will show itself in greatly increased prosperity in 

 all the interests of the county. The urban population must already be, 

 as compared with the rural, rather beyond the average of that in the 

 agricultural counties. The town population of Miami county is dis- 

 tributed among several prosperous cities and towns, instead of being col- 

 lected into one larger city. To this report there is lacking the statistics 

 of the cities as well as the figures of the comparative elevations of the 

 various portions of the county, above the sea-level, or as compared with 

 the Miami River, the canal, railroads, and the turnpike roads. I made 

 several efforts to obtain these figures, but have failed. Those who have 

 them, and have failed to furnish them, are responsible for the lack of full- 

 ness of the report in this respect. 



BEDDED EOCK. 



Niagara. — There are three distinct geological formations exposed, in 

 Miami county, below the Drift, beloaging to era known as Silurian. 

 The lower Silurian is seen at all exposures below the horizon of the base 

 of the cliffs at Charlestown, and Col. Woodward's, at Tippecanoe. The rock 

 composing the cliffs, the next to that just mentioned, is that known, in 

 geology, as Clinton, called, often in the county, sandstone. The cliffs at 

 Ludlow Creek are in the same formation. Next above the Clinton, and 

 the only remaining bedded rock in the county, is that known as Niag- 



