HARDIN COUNTY. Soo 
Creek Marsh into the Hog Creek valley. The second divide in the same 
way prevents the northward drainage of the Hog Creek Marsh. Streams 
rise immediately on the northern slope of this ridge’ in Hancock county, 
and pursue their course uninterruptedly to the Blanchard, in a due 
northern direction. The northern line of the county runs about on the 
summit of this ridge. It is a low, gentle swell in the surface, hardly 
observable in passing over the country. The more southerly divide may 
be more properly termed a ridge. By reference to another chapter it will 
be seen that these divides have been traced westward through Allen and 
Mercer counties, and that they are regarded as glacial moraines. 
SURFACE FEATURES. 
The surface features of Hardin county are dependent on the condition 
in which the original Drift was left by the glacier. The southern part 
of the county, especially in the townships of Buck, Rou.idhead, and 
Taylor Creek, is occupied with a rolling surface. ‘Tue northern portions 
of McDonald and Lynn townships are flat, with a clay soil. The south- 
eastern part of the county may be denominated flat, or gently undula- 
ting. Along the north side of the Scioto and the Scioto Marsh, crossing 
the entire county, there is a tract of more clevated land, sometimes 
_ broken by long undulations, and not infrequent! v rolling or hilly. This 
strip has a width of from one to three miles. North of it the surface 
becomes nearly or quite flat, with only isolated and unimportant excep- 
tions. Three extensive marshes are embraced within Hardin county. 
Their aggregate area is about forty thousand acres. Some efforts have 
been made to render them cultivable by artificial drainage, and with a 
good degree of success. Formerly water'covered them the greater part 
of the year, but now in summer-time a team can be driven across them 
in various directions with entire safety. It is evident that the valley of 
the Scioto is the proper, if not the only, channel through which to drain © 
the Scioto Marsh. By lowering its outlet, and constructing a system of 
tributary ditches, the whole area could could be given a dry and arable 
soil. Another low valley spreads northward in Cessna township, which 
might be utilized for the same purpose; yet its outlet is so near the out- 
let by way of the Scioto that not much would be gained. There are 
some indications that formerly a portion of the surplus water of the 
marsh found escape through this valley into Hog Creek Marsh. The 
Cranberry Marsh is drained westward into the Blanchard. The Hog 
Creek Marsh is drained northward into Eagle Creek, and westward by 
deepening Hog Creek channel, its natur! outlet. 
The frequent occurrence of such marshc: on the ‘broad watershed be- 
PIB) 
