File:The historical geography of Detroit (1918) (14597223459).jpg

Identifier: historicalgeogra00park (find matches)
Title: The historical geography of Detroit
Year: 1918 (1910s)
Authors: Parkins, A. E. (Almon Ernest), 1879-1940
Subjects: Human geography -- Michigan Detroit Detroit (Mich.) -- History Detroit (Mich.) -- Description and travel
Publisher: Lansing : Michigan Historical Commission
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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its particular location on that river. There are several boulder belts on the plains, butthe concentration is not great enough to render theland unsuited for agriculture. The boulders of thesebelts, unlike the boulders of the ground moraine, arechiefly of crystalline rock and are much used for build-ing purposes. Although the water-laid moraines, beach ridges, bars,spits, and boulder belts are minor topographic features,they are of sufficient elevation to influence greatly thedrainage of the plain. Because of the flatness of theplain, the whole area is poorly drained, and before theforests were cut off, allowing winds and sunshine toincrease evaporation, and before the construction ofditches and drains, it was covered with numerous shal-low ponds and marshes for four or more months eachyear. The swamps afforded breeding places for themosquito which we now know is the cause of the pre-valence of the malaria and ague for which this Detroit 6. Note 600 contour on map. LOCAL GEOGRAPHY 157
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Detroit River and Part of Lake ErieShowing contours and altitudes near the Detroit River,depths of water, and main ship channels in the Detroit River.The channel to the west of Bois Blanc island is the LivingstoneChannel. 158 HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF DETROIT region was notorious. It was this pooriy drained plain,that had to be crossed in going to the west and north-west of Detroit, that led travelers and surveyors tobelieve that all Michigan was a morass. In goingnortheastward or southwestward along Lake St. Clairor the Detroit River, the beach ridges of the ancientlakes, wherever followed, furnished a dry path or roadfor most of the year. In traveling westward or north-westward from Detroit, the trend of the beaches issuch that these naturally drained ridges could not beutilized. Today farmers and gardeners on the plainexperience difficulty in draining their lands by tiling,the movement of the water being so slow that the tilebecomes clogged with mud and sand in a short time.^The plai

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