144 FORMATION OF BURLINGTON BEACH. 



the beach continued to lengthen, until another strand was made at 

 what is now called Dynes point, where we find a slip of sand run- 

 ning southwesterly into the bay, between which and the beach pro- 

 per there is deep water, and evidently the former bed or mouth of 

 the river, through continually becoming more shallow through 

 the action of the waves of the bay, heaving this tongue 

 of sand into it. Here we have the last trace of, and must 

 bid farewell to the old Grand River. It had warred for cen- 

 turies with the driving sands and had performed its part through 

 deposits and otherwise, in the formation of the beach. Previous to 

 its waters being withdrawn an island had formed north of its mouth, 

 the point mentioned being the remaining south portion thereof. 



As a positive proof of the sand and stones moving westerly and 

 northerly along the shore of the lake, I may say from actual observa- 

 tion, that, heavy field stones used for filling cribs at the foot of the 

 Stony creek road, have, within twenty years (now that the cribs are 

 broken up), travelled a quarter of a mile northwesterly ; and as one 

 proof of the constantly increasing sand deposit on the shore, 

 I may also add, that the wreck of the schooner Alvord came 

 ashore near the Beach school-house, in May, 1868 ; that the bottom 

 with the stern post attached became firmly imbedded in the sand 

 forming an immovable land mark, arid that the average water level 

 is fully ten yards from the wreck ; although the stern post had been, 

 when first imbedded, at the water's edge. 



Any obstruction on the shore gathers sand on the seaward side. 



That this ancient river ceased to discharge its waters into the 

 lower basin, may be accounted for either by a gradual upheaval of 

 the upper level, through which it flowed disturbing its course, or by 

 an extraordinary freshet cutting a new bed, by which it took a more 

 southerly direction and following the deeper indentations of the sur- 

 face at length formed a third, or last mouth, in the upper basin of 

 Lake Erie. 



On the southerely side of the bay the water is, and was, shal- 

 low, with principally a clay bottom with some alluvial deposit and 

 fine sand. On this coarser sand and gravel continued to be deposited ; 

 and the beach grew broader and extended northward until a sort 

 of estuary was formed, into which the heavy easterly waves rolled 

 but to recoil from the calm deep water inside. The bottom of estu- 



