GENERAL DESCRIPTION AND HISTORY OF THE AREA. 15 
geological classification which takes into consideration the under¬ 
lying rock formations the county naturally falls into several 
divisions. 
The bed rock underlying the soils of Outagamie County con¬ 
sists of two radically different formations, sandstone and lime¬ 
stone. There are two ages of sandstone and two ages of lime¬ 
stone. The accompanying sketch map shows the approximate 
location and extent of the four rock formations which make 
up the surface rock of this region. These are the Potsdam 
sandstone, lower magnesian limestone, St. Peter’s sandstone and 
Trenton and Galena limestone. 
All of these formations have contributed to some extent to 
the soils of the region. In addition the glacier carried quan¬ 
tities of the granitic material over onto the other rock forma¬ 
tions. The granitic boulders frequently seen are an evidence 
of this action. 
Another formation within the county is represented by the 
heavy red clay. This red material was deposited in quiet waters 
when the Great Lakes stood at a much higher level than at 
present. After being deposited, this material was acted upon 
by the ice sheet and was mixed to some extent with other ma¬ 
terials. The surface in places w T as left level, as along the Fox 
River, and rolling as in the Town of Dale and elsewhere. 
As a result of the various geological agencies which have in¬ 
fluenced this region, the surface of the county falls into three 
rather distinct divisions. 
The northwestern quarter of the county consists of an ex¬ 
tensive alluvial plain in which the soils have been deposited 
by flood waters from the Wolf, Sliioc and Embarrass Rivers. 
These streams traverse regions of both sandstone and crystalline 
rocks and the alluvial soils are therefore a mixture of materials 
from both these sources. Within this region there are extensive 
marsh areas, consisting for the most part of peat. 
In the southeastern part of the county there is a considerable 
area along the Fox River where the soil is a heavy red clay, 
and where the surface is level, it having been influenced to only 
a limited extent by glacial action since its deposition. 
Between this region and the one described as covering the 
northwestern quarter of the county, there is another region 
much larger than either of the other two, in which is found 
