Cretaceous in Minnesota. 347 



THE CRETACEOUS IN MINNESOTA, 



BY N. H. WINCHELL. 



There are frequent exposures of the Cretaceous along the 

 Minnesota river from Big Stone Lake to Mankato; and at 

 several places lignitic coal occurs in beds varying from six 

 inches to three or four feet in thickness. It is found on the 

 Cottonwood river, a large tributary of the Minnesota from 

 the south, and on the Blue Earth. There are evidences of it 

 under the drift at points between Mankato and Mendota. It 

 occurs in Steele county, also in Freeborn, Fillmore and Mow- 

 er. There are indirect evidences of it in Dakota county, par- 

 ticularly at Empire City. It is scattered largely through the 

 drift in the western part of Hennepin county. In the central 

 and eastern parts of Wright county it has excited expectations 

 of coal, and some shafting has been done. Pieces of lignite 

 coal have been found along the Mississippi river as far north as 

 Fort Ripley ; and in Stearns connty a considerable interest 

 was excited a few years ago by exposures of lignite in the 

 valley of the Sauk river, at several places, particularly at 

 Richmond. It is met with in Faribault county in sinking 

 deep wells, also in Kandiyohi. It is distributed abundantly 

 through the drift in the valley of the Red river of the North, 

 both in the form of " slate " and lignitic fragments. Pieces 

 of lignite are said to have been found on the St. Louis river, 

 near the mouth of Swan river. According to H. R. School- 

 craft,, lignitic coal was discovered in the country south of the 

 Lake of the Woods in 1858 or 1859. J- A. Wheelock refers 

 to this in the "First Annual Report of the Commisisoner Jof 

 Statistics," Jan. 1st, i860. In the summer of 1875, Creta- 

 ceous lignite was discovered in the country between Rainy 

 Lake and Vermillion Lake, and a hundred pounds of what 



