A G UI D E TO TH E LOCAL H STORY OF FREMONT OH O , P RI OR T O 1 860 LUCY ELLIO T " EELER C L M B S HI O U U . O O : P re s s o f Fre d J He e r 1 90 5 . A G UIDE TO THE LOCAL HISTORY F FREMONT OHI . O , O A l n T o a h G a d . eo ogy p og r p y W h at are t h e na tive rocks of Frem o nt ? Limestone . How an d w h en were t h ey formed ? o und e i T h eir strati ficati n p roves t h at t h ey were formed water , w a lt Geo lo and t h ei r fossil s i ndicate t h at t h e ater was s a sea . gists make t h e date of t h is formation approximately twenty m i l n l io years ago . W h ere can t h ese rocks be seen to best advantage ? ’ I n t h e outcrop at Moore s M il ls , Bal lvill e . T h ere t h e water lime rocks a r e separated by a layer of s h al e from t h e Niagara l i meston e below . W h at made t h e cut t h roug h t h e rocks at Ballvi ll e ? ' - T h e San dusky river , j ust as it is to day cutting t h roug h t h e softer clay at t h e B l ue Banks . Has t h e Sandusky river always occupied its p resent c h annel ? No . Flow ing as i t does over so level a region , it is call ed a meandering stream , t h at i s , one w h ic h is continual ly c h anging its bed . S uc h a stream is c h aracterized by many s h arp curves . - m to b y T h u s it i s forty two miles from Fre ont Sandusky water , — and on ly twenty two miles by rail . so m e ' o f Locate t h e ol d river beds . Y o u must go to see . Fi rst examine t h e sudden tu rn t h e river ' makes at t h e B lue Banks Proceed sout h along t h is blufl an d ’ note t h e ol d bed beyond S h arp s Island , only partially used at a nd present , a secon d w h ic h i s dry except at h ig: h water . Al l t h ree are fu l l during spring fres h ets Lon g , long ago , t h e San dusky river passed t h rou g h t h e ravine t h at l ies between t h e Cat h ' ol ic cemetery an d B al lvi lle . At t h at ti me t h e rive r c ro sse d its present c h annel at a s h arp angl e an d fl o wed along t h e no rt h ern ’ side of Reynol d 5 W o o d Hi ll . W h at covere d t h i s country du ring t h e Ice Age ? A vast s h eet of i ce . ' Si nce the ice in O h io melted sooner t h an t h at in t h e eastern out o f ? lets t h e Great Lakes , h ow did t h e water escape Sout h ward , t h roug h t h e Wabas h , Maumee and Sandusky riv ers . 4 ? \/Vha t marked t h e s h rinking of t h i s vast l ake T h e receding wate r deposited fou r di stinct san d beac h es , nearly parallel w it h t h e sou t h ern s h ore o f Lake E rie . T h ese san d beac h es became ou r R i d bge Roads W h at became o f t h e bulk o f t h e sedimen t deposited int h is vast pre h istoric lake ? I t formed a mass o f sand an d clay , o f varyi ng t h ickness , w h ic h deposit i s t h e subsoi l o f t h e l evel country about Fremont . W h ere can a good cut t h ro ug h t h i s deposit be foun d ? A t t h e Bl ue Banks . H ere on its east bank t h e r iver is cu tting so rapi dly t h at an almost vert ical bl u ff of h ard yel low clay i s maintained . W' h at deposits o f t h e glacier can be found ? Underneat h t h e yel low clay at t h e Bl ue Banks , is . a den se l ayer “ " — o f blu e clay , or h ard pan , w h ic h was deposited by t h e glacier . I t ~ m a y be studied best at low w ater , and w h ere a mass of yel low clay h as recently be en removed some glaciated or scratc h ed rocks may be foun d in t h e bl u e clay below . ? \Vha t i s t h e su rface soi l about Fremont D eposits o f vegetable matter . I n t h e famous B lack S wamp , extendi n g from Fremont to Toledo , t h i s vegetabl e deposit was o f extraordin ary dept h an d ric h n ess . are t h e rocks so n umerous at Stony P rai rie ? ' 1 1 G anite boulders of man y kinds , b ou g h t h ere on t h e back o f o t h e anci ent glaci er t h ousan ds of yea rs a g . h en ce did t h ese b o uld e 1 s come ? . k From Canada T h ey are w h olly u nli e ou r native limestones , and correspon d accu rately w it h I O CRS alon g Lakes H u ron and S uperior and t h ose o f t h e Lau renti an Range . F o r P t h is pe riod con sult T h e I ce Age , by ro f . G . F . W rig h t , an d t h e Geolo bgical S u rveys o f O h io . 7 ? \ f\ ha t i s t h e elevation o f Fremont T h e benc h ma rk at t h e Cou rt Hou se i s sixty — two feet above — l le ve . Lake Erie , an d si x h undred an d t h i rty seven feet above sea Note some of t h e phvsic a l c h anges in Fremont wit h i n t h e pa st 1 fi fty yea s . M a m a 1 e c h an ges d ue to t h e gradin g for streets . T h e old Ju stice h ou se on State s h ee t an d t h e ol d B rainard h ouse on Cro gh an street , n ow many feet below t h e streets , we re formerly ‘ . c o r l evel w it h t h e roadways T h e si te o f t h e Taylo r h ou se , n er A rc h an d B i rc h a rd Aven ue , was a h i g h knoll . From C . R . ’ M c Cullo c h s propert y on B i rc h ard aven ue , sout h ward , extended a large pon d . i ts overflow emptyin g into t h e M a rket street ( B i rc h l ard Ave . ) d itc h , an d f o win g east to t h e river . A deep ravine ran from t h e ri ver sout h westwa rd to t h e Central sc h ool yard . B e h1s fore buildin g h ouse , D r . james W ilson h auled large trees to e h elp fill t h at part o f t h e ravine ext ndin g t h roug h h is pla ce . T h e two deep ravin es crossing State street h ave been almost entirely fil led . A n n B l O u . b o ri gi a c c p a cy W h at was t h e ol d name o f Fremon t ? Lower San dusky . W hy w a s it so called ? a T h e w h ole region , river and val l ey , was called S n dusky , b y t h e Ind ian s . Low er San dusky was to di stin bgu is h t h e vi l la ge at t h e lower rapid s o f t h e river from t h at at t h e upper rapids .