5 22 
The Ohio Naturalist. 
[Vol. XII, No. 7, 
center of the swamp was, according to the surveys of 1799 and 
1801, a long narrow lake fed by several small streams. This lake 
drained into the South Fork of the Licking River near the “Black 
Diamond, ” hi mile southwest of the present Waste Weir. 
The location seemed well suited for a reservoir. It was a 
quite extensive natural basin, lying on a plain, with a rim of hills to 
the south, east and northeast immediately bordering the swamp; 
so that no levee would be necessary along these margins. To the 
north and west of the present lake are low fields which very likely 
were wholly or at least in part included in the original swamp. 
The swamp drained towards the north, the lowest place in the 
rim is indicated on the topographic map of the U. S. G. S. by a 
small stream, which apparently unites Buckeye Lake with the 
South Fork of the Licking River. This outlet, however, no 
longer exists. 
The so-called “Old Reservoir” was begun on the morning of 
July 4, 1825, and was finished in 182S. The swamp was not 
deepened nor even cleared of trees. A levee, with a maximum 
height of 18 feet at the “Black Diamond” and decreasing some- 
what to the east and west, was built along the north side from the 
present “Park” to the western extremity and was continued 
around the west end. This latter served as the tow-path of 
the canal. 
The “old reservoir” did not furnish the canal with sufficient 
water to permit the carrying of even half a load during the drier 
summer months, therefore an additional 500 acres on the west were 
added in 1832. This addition was called the “new reservoir.” 
An additional supply of water was also provided by a distributary 
from the Licking River, which taps the river just north of 
Kirkersville and enters the reservoir f of a mile north of the 
western exit of the canal. 
The old swamp lay in the preglacial valley of a tributary of the 
Newark valley, a valley now occupied in part by the west fork of 
Jonathan creek. Just east of Thornville station the tracks of 
the Newark and Shawnee Branch of the Baltimore and Ohio 
railroad, which parallel the east shore of the lake, and the Zanes- 
ville and Western railroad from the south meet in a cut or gap and 
continue eastward as parallel tracks. The floor of this gap is but 
little broader than the width of the two tracks. 
A loop moraine was formed in Late Wisconsin time across the 
valley at this point and completely blocked the then westward 
flowing stream. The lower or westward portion of the valley was 
still filled with ice. As the ice receded, the water ponded behind 
the moraine broke through forming the gap now occupied by the 
railroad tracks, and flowed eastward down the valley. This over- 
flow'gap is very distinct and was first referred to by G. F. Wright, 8 
8. Wright, G. F. The glacial boundary in Ohio, Ind., and Ky. 1884. 
