Madison County iVi 



TOPOGRAPHY AND NATURAL CHARACTERISTICS 



The surface of Madison, County has two natural divisions — 

 the comparatively level lowlands of the lake plain on the north 

 and the rolling to hilly uplands in the south. The latter, which 

 is much the larger, is made up of high, broad hills and more or 

 less narrow valleys, the largest of which have been partly filled 

 with glacial debris. The elevation of this upland section varies 

 from 1,000 to 1,200 feet above sea level in the valleys to hills 

 exceeding 2,000 feet in a few places. The highest point is in the 

 township of Georgetown, 2,160 feet. 



The main valley enters the county at Earlville and extends 

 north ward across the county. At Earlville a branch extends in a 

 northeasterly direction through East Hamilton, Hubbardsville, 

 and Xorth Brookfield Station. At Randalls ville a narrow branch 

 passes a little west of north through Easton and Morrisville, and 

 at Peck port another branch extends to the northeast by Bouck- 

 ville and Solsville. These valleys have an average width of about 

 one mile. Several other narrow valleys dissect the uplands. The 

 southern half of the county is drained by the tributaries of the 

 Unadilla, Tioughnioga, and Chenango rivers. 



The smaller of the two physiographic divisions occupies the 

 northern end of the county. Its elevation varies from 370 feet 

 above tide, the present level of Oneida Lake, bordering it on the 

 north, to about 450 feet. "With the exception of two hills, Allis 

 Hill and another hill between Chittenango Station and Sullivan, 

 each of which attain a height of from 500 to 600 feet, this section 

 is a nearly level plain, with large, swampy tracts bordering Oneida 

 Lake. The Erie Canal, which is approximately the dividing line 

 between this and the uplands, has a uniform level across the 

 county from east to west. This is a part of the " 60-mile level," 

 which extends from Syracuse to Utica. Xarrow valleys extend 

 from this plain southward into the upland region, the principal 

 ones being those occupied by Chittenango, Cowaselon, and Oneida 

 creeks. The latter valley forms the northern end of the main 

 valley of the upland section. 



Madison County lies on the watershed between the Great Lakes- 

 St. Lawrence basin and the Chenango-Susquehanna-Chesapeake 

 basin. The drainage of the county is about equally divided 



