Oswego County 545 



gradual slopes occasionally broken by the valleys of the river 

 courses. The general inclination is northerly. A low ridge 

 extending in an easterly and westerly direction from three to five 

 miles north of Oneida Lake forms the watershed between lakes 

 Ontario -and Oneida. 



The drainage of the w-estern and southern parts of the county 

 is principally through the Oswego River and of the northern 

 and eastern portions through Salmon River and a great number of 

 smaller streams flowing directly into the lake. The Oswego Riveiv 

 which is formed by the junction of Seneca and Oneida rivers, is 

 23 miles in length and falls 128 feet in its course, furnishing 

 excellent waterpower at several points. Salmon River and other 

 streams flowing into the eastern extremity of the lake have suc- 

 cessions of rapids and cascades. 



Lake Ontario, which constitutes the northwestern boundary, 

 presents an almost unbroken coast line for a distance of forty 

 miles along the border of this county. The mouth- of the Oswego 

 River furnishes a valuable harbor, the only one of great impor- 

 tance in the county. Oneida Lake on the southern boundary is 

 GOO feet above tide. It forms one link in the chain of the internal 

 water communication of the state. A portion of the rand in its 

 immediate vicinity is marshy. 



The drift and alluvial deposits covering the greater part of the 

 county furnish a great variety of soils. The sandy portions are 

 light and weak, while the clay portions are hard and unyielding 

 in some places. When these are mixed, a rich, deep -soil is the 

 result. Along the eastern border of the county are quantities of 

 limestone boulders which essentially modify the soil of that region. 

 The marshes are generally composed of beds of black muck and 

 other vegetable matter, and when drained and cultivated form a 

 rich natural meadow. 



DESCRIPTION BY TOWNSHIPS 

 Albion : The surface is level or gently undulating. The sum- 

 mits of the ridges are 500 to 600 feet above sea level. The low- 

 lands are wet, and in some places marshy. Salmon River flows 

 through the northern part. The soil consists of deposits of sand 

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