SHELBY COUNTY. 173 



The limestone occurring on Sand creek and west of Kaskaskia river, 

 four and five miles north-east of Shelby ville, affords a superior building 

 rock ; it was used in the construction of the Shelbyville railroad bridge. 

 The deep-blue argillaceous limestone west of Eobinson's creek has been 

 used for common culverts and rip raps on the Terre Haute Railroad. It 

 seems durable, but is very irregularly bedded, and often has too much 

 clay iu its composition. Some of the sandstones of this county will 

 make very good coarse grindstones. 



Sand and Material for Eoads. — Good sand for plastering can be pro- 

 cured on Little Wabash and Kaskaskia rivers, on Sand creek and from 

 some of the drift exposures. The sands and numerous rounded pebbles 

 of the drift are destined to be of great utility in the construction of 

 roads, especially at Shelbyville, where there is an almost inexhaustible 

 supply of it. Good clay for bricks occurs every where. Limestone good 

 for lime can only be procured four and five miles above Shelbyville and 

 on Sand creek. 



Soil and Agriculture. — A pretty good idea of the soil of this county 

 may be gathered from the first part of this report. The soil of most of 

 the northern half of the county is a dark rich loam, the broken laud 

 near the streams being not so rich. South of the Terre Haute railroad 

 and in the southwestern part of the county, the soil of the flat prairie 

 and timbered lands is thin ; on mound slopes it is rich and very produc- 

 tive. Near "Windsor, and south and west for six miles, both prairie and 

 timbered land is rich. The woodland near Flat branch is all very good 

 and capable of producing all crops raised in this latitude. Most of the 

 northern part of the county and the timbered land and mound slopes in 

 the south are good wheat lands. 



The general average of fall wheat is 20 to 25 bushels. 



The finest crops of corn are raised iu the northern part of the county, 

 generally averaging 45 to 50 bushels per acre, and according to Mr. L. 

 Smith he has raised on rolling upland 80 bushels per acre. The flat 

 prairies and post oak and white oak flats in the south produce indiffer- 

 ent crops of corn. • 



Water. — For supplies of water, the people chiefly depend on wells. 

 Their depth is variable, from 20 to 50 feet;, on the flat prairies not so 

 deep as on the hilly lands. 



One and a half miles north of the south county line, on the west 

 side of Beck's creek, I observed a number of chalybeate springs, some 

 impregnated with sulphur, others quite sweet. Tere is a fine spring of 

 excellent water at Mr. Johnson's a half mile north of Williamsburg. 



In sections 5 and 6, T. 10 K, E. 3 E., a lake possessing the euphoni- 

 ous name of Miantonomah extends over an area of several hundred 

 acres. Around its margin are many broad leaf water plants, and Cepha- 



