TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOGRAPHY - 59 (RETURN TO THE TITLE PAGE) CHAPTER IX. A General Topographical and Geographical View of Erie County — its Situation and Boundaries — Civil Divisions. THE county of Erie occupies a central position between the east and west boundary lines of Ohio, and is one of the seven counties of the State that border on Lake Erie ; and of these counties Erie holds that portion of the lake front that reaches the farthest south. Sandusky county has a frontage on the bay, but nowhere does her territory touch the lake proper. Erie county has no specially distinguishing physical features. The surface, generally, is even, but here and there exist evidences of the fact that its whole surface was at one time covered with water ; and that these waters, gradually receding, left what is known as a " drift," or sand ridge. These ridges, although not numerous, are found in several townships of the county. . The evenness of the surface of the land throughout the county is'the rule, and the exceptions are few. The most marked depression exists in the township of Huron, where a large area of the land surface lies below the water level of the lake, and is subject to overflow with a rise of the lake waters or those of the Huron River. Other than this there is but comparatively little swamp nd, and where this class has, in the past, been found to exist, it is easily drained into the streams with which the county is well supplied, and thus emptied into the lake. Erie county is bounded on the north by Lake Erie. But from this statement must be excepted Kelley's Island, which now forms one of the county's townships, and which is situate some sixteen miles from Sandusky City, according to the usual route of boat travel. It lies nearly due north from the city. The county is otherwise bounded, east by Lorain county ; south by Huron county, the bounding townships thereof being Lyme, Ridgefield, Norwalk, Townsend, and Wakeman, and on the west by Sandusky county. As originally created the county contained eleven townships, but two years later Danbury was set off to the formation of Ottawa county, as was Kelley's and, but the latter was erected into a township while attached to Ottawa, and was, at a still later day re-annexed to Erie agreeably to the prayer of the petition of its inhabitants ; therefore this island now forms a part of Erie county, although situate some sixteen miles distant therefrom. Portland township, one of the original subdivisions of the county, and one . the most important sections of the same, has lost all existence as a township, having been absorbed by the extension of the city limits of the county seat. Margaretta township occupies the northeast corner position of the county 60 - HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. and is larger in area than any of the others. It represents, in part, Sandusky county's contribution to the formation of Erie county. Its settlement was commenced in 1810. Its position, according to the original survey, is town six, range twenty-four. The township has a fronton Sandusky Bay. Its surface is inclined to be rolling or undulating, but in no place can it be said to be hilly. Besides the bay, there are several streams that receive the drainage or surface water, the largest of which are Mill's Creek and Cold Creek. This stream crosses the township in a course generally northeast, and discharges its waters into the bay within the corporate limits of Sandusky City. Cold Creek is the largest of the streams of the township, and lies almost if not quite wholly therein. Its course is exceedingly tortuous, thus affording drainage to a large amount of the township's area. Little Cold Creek is tributary to the greater stream, but an attempt to utilize their united waters for milling purposes some years ago, made the larger tributary to the less. This was the result of building a darn across Cold Creek. Margaretta is bounded north by Sandusky Bay ; east by Sandusky City (formerly Portland township) and Perkins township ; south by Groton township, and west by Sandusky county, and in part by the irregular shore line of the bay. The township, is, perhaps, more irregular in formation than any of the county's subdivisions, having, at the extreme northwest corner a projecting strip of land, running westward, and from one to two miles in width. Groton township lies south of Margaretta, east of Sandusky county, north of Lyme township, of Huron county, and west of Oxford. In the survey it appears as town number five, range twenty-four. The surface is as level, generally, as any part of the county, having much of a prairie appearance. It is drained almost wholly by Mill's Creek, which stream has its source in Huron county, crosses this township in a course substantially northeast, and passes into Margaretta township on the north. Portland township, the smallest in area of Erie county, but of as great importance as any, is to the county a thing of the past. Its whole area is now included within the limits of Sandusky city. The surface is quite level, but from the lake shore is a gradual ascent as a south course is pursued. Mill's Creek, is the main water course of Portland and near its mouth forms a small bay, from which its waters reach the greater bay. Old Portland, for it may now be so called, is south of Sandusky Bay, west of Huron, north of Perkins and east of Margaretta. Perkins township lies immediately south of Sandusky City, and in the survey of the Firelands is town number six, range twenty-three. Its surface is quite as level as any of the townships of the county. The land is slightly undulating with a long and steady roll on the summits, if such they may be called, well defined though not extensive sand ridges. The most depressed localities are swale-like but there are no swamp lands unfit for agricultural purposes. Perkins TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOGRAPHY - 61 is watered and drained by the waters of two or three small streams, the largest of which is Mill's Creek, and this in extremely dry weather is barren of water. The boundaries of Perkins township are, north, Portland and Sandusky City ; east, Huron ; south, Oxford, and west Margaretta. The township is in a nearly square form, its former irregular lines having been made straight. Oxford lies south of Perkins, east of Groton, north of Huron county (Ridgefield township) and west of Milan township. Its surface formation is much like that of Perkins, except that its streams are larger and in the vicinity of them the land is more uneven. The Huron River crosses the southeast corner and the township is otherwise watered by Crab Apple Creek in the western and Mill's Creek in the northern part. Range twenty-three, township number five is the geographical position of Oxford in the original survey. Huron township borders upon the lake and in east and west measurement great is as any of the county. It has the outline form of a trapezoid, the east and west boundaries being parallel. Huron formerly comprised a vast tract of swamp or marsh lands, but ditching and draining have relieved it of much of its swampy characteristics, still there is a large tract of unavailable land within its bounds, especially situate along the bay and lake front and the valley of the Huron River. This stream is the most important of the county. Its source is in Crawford, Richland and Huron counties ; thence it crosses the last named, enters Erie in the southern part of Oxford township, courses east by north into Milan which it intersects, running northeasterly and enters Huron township, which it crosses in a course generally north, though exceedingly desvious and winding in some localities, and discharges its waters into Lake Erie at site of the village of Huron. Saw-mill Creek, so named from the utilization of its waters for saw-mill and other manufacturing purposes, is the only other stream of note within the township. It was formerly fed by drainage water from the lands bordering upon it, but when ditching and draining was resorted to as a means of carrying off drain water quickly, much of the utility of Saw-mill Creek was destroyed. Huron township lies north of Milan and Berlin, east of Perkins and Portland, south of the bay and lake, and west of that portion of Berlin that extends to the lake. Huron is in range twenty-two and numbered town six. Milan township occupies a position in the county nearly in its geographical center, and is, moreover, one of the most important of the county's townships. It became prominent when this was a part of Huron county, from the fact of its being the location of the county seat. In the Fire-lands survey it was town number five, range twenty-two. Its surface is uniform with a gradual roll except in the valley of Huron River and the several rivulets of the township that empty into that river. These afford an excellent ral drainage for the surplus waters of the territory ; therefore but comparatively little artificial draining and ditching has been found necessary. The Huron enters the township from Huron county near the southwest section, thence 62 - HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY. flows in a generally northeast direction, intersecting the township, and passes into Huron township near Milan's northeast quarter. The course of the Huron is sufficiently tortuous to drain a large area of the township. The boundaries of Milan township are as follows : North, Huron ; east, Berlin ; south, Huron county, and west, Oxford township of Erie county. The township of Berlin, number five in range twenty-one, occupies a strip or tract of land extending from the lake on the north to the north line of Huron county on the south ; therefore it covers the entire north and south measurement of Erie county. The township was originally known as Eldridge, so name I for one of the original proprietors of the land, but on account of some questionable transactions on the part of that person the name was changed, the people thereof not wishing their territory to be named for one to whom any odium was attached. In the first survey Berlin contained twenty-five square miles, but by the acquisition of a block of land on the north its territory was extended to Lake Erie, thus giving the township a lake front. Its north boundary is Lake Erie ; east, the townships of Vermillion and Florence ; south, Huron county, and West the townships of Huron and Milan of this county. In the lake region the land surface is broken, rugged and slightly inclined to be hilly, not naturally so, however, but by the ages of time during which the waters of the lake have left their mark, and gradually receding have given this locality the appearance of being hilly. This action of time and the elements is also noticeable in the vicinity of the streams of the locality which have cut and washed their way down into the soft soils of the township. There are points in Berlin township where the land has an altitude of nearly one hundred feet above the present lake level, but at these places is also discernible the drift formation showing the action of the waters hundreds. of years ago. The principal water courses of the township are La Chapelle and Old Woman's Creeks. Vermillion is the northeast corner township of Erie county. While generally its surface may be classed as level, there are nevertheless areas of broken and uneven lands clearly showing the drift formation on the ridges left by retiring waters. Elsewhere are what are known as lowlands. Vermillion abuts upon Lake Erie, which forms its north boundary. In this locality the most broken and rugged lands of the township exist. The Vermillion River, the main stream of the township, has its headwaters in Ashland and Huron counties whence it flows across the southeastern part of Florence township and thence passes into Lorain county on the east. Here it curves gradually to the north and northeast and returns again to this county, entering Vermillion in its northeast section and discharges into Lake Erie at the village of Vermillion. The township is traversed by two other and smaller streams, La Chapelle and Sugar Creeks. In the survey Vermillion is numbered town six of range twenty. Its north boundary is Lake Erie ; east, Lorain county ; south, Florence and a part of Berlin, and west Berlin township. LOCATING THE COUNTY SEAT - 63 The township of Florence, the most remote from the county seat of any of the subdivisions of Erie county excepting only Kelley's Island, is located in the southeast corner of the county, being bounded on the east by Lorain county, south by Huron county, west by Berlin township, and north by Vermillion township. In the survey it is town number five of range twenty. Its physical features are not materially different from other townships in this region, gently rolling but with no hill-like formations. Sand ridges crown the higher elevations, and are elsewhere noticeable. The streams of Florence are the Vermillion River, which crosses its southeastern portion, the creek La Challepelle, and a few small runs of no prominence. Kelley's Island became a township of Erie county in the year 1845. Prior thereto it formed a part of Ottawa county, and while so attached was made a township. After being annexed to Erie county the island was made a municipality, and as such now exists. It was originally called, and elsewhere in this work is referred to as Cunningham's Island. This forms no part of the old Firelands, but comes into prominence as the "Vineyard of the Lake." It is situated in north latitude forty-one degrees and thirty five minutes, and west longitude from Washington, D. C., five degrees and forty-two minutes. It is well located, well watered, well improved and well populated. This island and the other civil divisions of the county are each made the subjects of special chapters in this work, where they and their people, their manufactories and productions will be fully mentioned and described.