388 
WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
the custom work of tlie county. Leather is manufactured to some extent 
at Portage and some other points in the county. There are a few wagon 
shops, where all kinds of wagons and carriages are made. At Cambria 
there is a woolen factory, where, on a small scale, excellent woolen cloths 
and shawls are made. 
Running through the southeasterly part of the county is a high ridge, or 
great swell of land, which seems to be of a different geological formation 
from that of the surrounding country, and to have been forced up through 
the supervening strata by some great convulsion of nature. Along this 
ridge specimens of several kinds of ores have been found, but not in pay¬ 
ing quantities. Drift metal, of copper and lead has often been found, all 
over the county. Specimens of pure, native copper, often of many pounds 
weight, have been ploughed up in fields on the prairies and elsewhere. 
The great geographical feature of the county, that which will be eventu¬ 
ally of more benefit than anything else, is the peculiar position of the Fox 
and Wisconsin rivers to each other, that makes possible a ship canal, to 
unite the waters of Lake Michigan and the Mississippi rivers. At “ The 
Portage,” a name given by the early French voyageurs, where now stands 
the city of Portage, they approach so near together that, in high water, the 
waters of the Wisconsin are wont to flow across the intervening flats into 
the Fox. Boats of considerable draft had floated across from time to time 
before any canal was dug. Several years ago a canal about two miles long 
was dug, with a lock at the Wisconsin river, and another at the Fox, which 
at that point is some six feet lower than the Wisconsin, and the channel of 
the Fox dredged in places, and somewhat straightened, and a successful 
navigation from Green Bay was commenced. A considerable amount of 
business has for years been done through this channel. But of late the 
rapid development of the northwest, and the want of facilities for cheaper 
transportation of their surplus produce to market, has turned the attention 
of the people of several states to the route, and Congress has taken the 
initiatory steps to open through here a ship canal. 
The main line of the Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad passes through 
this county from Columbus to Kilbourn City, and the north division of the 
the same railroad unites Randolph Station with the main line. Besides 
these the Madison and Portage, and the Madison and St. Paul roads pass 
through the county; these taken in conjunction with the navigation of 
the Fox and Wisconsin rivers will make all parts of our county easily'acces- 
sible to market, and give us facilities equalled by few, and surpassed by 
none of the counties of the state. 
In the internal improvements of our county are seen abundant indica¬ 
tions of the enterprise, good taste and prosperity of our citizens. The 
roads in all parts of the county are good; a large number of first-class farm 
houses and private residences are seen everywhere; our schools are good, 
school-houses neat and attractive; our church edifices are numerous and 
are respectable in size and appearance; the county buildings are large, 
