Letter to Taylor from Leverett, August 18, 1911

Item — Box: 2, Folder: 4

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Series:

The correspondence series includes approximately 1100 letters written between 1892-1939. The majority of the collection are letters between Frank Leverett and Frank Bursley Taylor; they discuss their field work, Monograph 53, other publications and various related problems. There is also other correspondence with other geologists, including T.C. Chamberlin, Grove K. Gilbert, J.W. Goldthwait, H.L. Fairchild, et alia. There is extensive correspondence with the U.S. Geological Survey, the Geological Survey of Canada, and the Michigan Geological Survey. The primary subject of this series is the surficial glacial geology of the midwestern U.S. and Canada. Leverett & Taylor's work was essential for understanding how the Great Lakes were formed as the Pleistocene glaciers advanced and retreated from the midwestern states. The letters describe the 30 year process of gathering data, mapping the data and constructing the picture of glacial processes during the last Ice Age.

Dates

Creation: August 18, 1911

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Access

The material is stored offsite in Remote Storage. Please contact Special Collections 3 working days in advance if you wish to use it.

Extent

From the Collection: 1 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

General

Just returned from 8 day tramp from Beaver Bay (MN) NE; had better fare and beds than I expected. Summary of results. At Grand Marais, the county surveyor ran levels for me to higheest shore of Lake Duluth at 673.5' above lake level or 1275' AT, with lower beaches down to 1201-1203'. Nipissing is 29' at low water stage, and 38' storm beach. Highest Algonquin seems to be 1009' AT (407' above lake). Highest Duluth beach at Duluth is 1135' AT at NW end of 7th Ave. inclined RR. We could not be certain of shorelines there up to Duluth Beach, but faint ones are found just as Calumet, MI. There are small gravel beaches at 43-44' and 55-57' back of Nipissing which may be Fort Brady. There is a strong gravel beach with crest 123.5' which may be Battlefield, and another at 156'. There is a cut in red till at 300' with 2 gravel beaches at 362' and 407', which all may be Algonquin. Grand Marais is too rocky for all the Algonquin beaches to be well developed. I took numerous observations on Nipissing beach in Cook & Lake Co. and could distinguish the storm beach from the low water stage. It is 6' above present water level 1 mile E of Beaver Bay, and 11-11.5' near mouth of Baptism River. The difference between the modern lake and Nipissing is only about 3', and the low water Nipissing may lay below low water Lake Superior. Notes on locations to show Nipissing plane level slopes follow. Also, at Duluth, test borings in St. Louis Riverbrought up black muck from 60-64' below lake level under a sandy muddy slush. This may show a lake level that preceded the two outlet stage of the Nipissing, for it is doubtful that the beach of the two outlet stage is more than 25' below Lake Superior.