The Pleistocene of North America / and its vertebrated animals from the states east of the Mississippi River and from the Canadian provinces east of longitude 95°

by Oliver Perry Hay

Beaver Lake has disappeared from the maps, but it is shown on the geological map of Indiana, published in the Eighteenth Annual Report of the Geological Survey of Indiana. The lake occupied a part of the present township of McClellan (township 30 north, range 9 west). Doubtless this lake existed ever since the retirement of the ice from that region. The mastodon was probably found in making the ditch from the lake in a northwesterly direction into the Kankakee River.

32. Jasper County.—John Collett, at that time State geologist, reported in 1882 (12th Ann. Rep. Geol. Surv. Indiana, p. 73) that remains of a mastodon had been found in this county, but no particulars were furnished. He stated that remains of this species, as well as those of the mammoth, were buried in deposits of peat. A portion of the county is occupied by the Marseilles morainic system, the remainder by the Kankakee marsh, perhaps largely a lake during the latter part of the Wisconsin stage. On the maps the number 32 is placed arbitrarily.

33. Denham, Pulaski County.—In 1915 the U. S. National Museum secured a large part of the skeleton of a mastodon found about 2 miles west of Denham. The locality is described to the writer by Mr. W. D. Pattison, of Winamac, as being on the half-section line between the southeast quarter of the northwest quarter and the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter of section 9, township 31 north, range 3 west. This would be not far west from the center of the section. The skeleton was thrown out by the shovel of the ditching machine, but most of the bones, including the skull, were obtained in quite good condition. They were found at a depth of about 9 feet, in a marly deposit, itself overlain by sandy materials.

On consulting Leverett’s glacial map of Indiana it is seen that this skeleton was found in a marshy tract, in which Monon River rises. It is represented by Leverett as a ground moraine plain, surrounded by plains covered by sand and displaying sand dunes. It forms a part of what has been called Kankakee Lake, but which, as Leverett says, may have been in late Pleistocene times not greatly unlike what it has been within Recent times. It must have been well along in the afternoon of the Wisconsin stage when this mastodon tempted the insecure footing of these swamps.

This skeleton has been mounted and is now on exhibition at the U. S. National Museum.

34. Rich Grove Township, Pulaski County.—Mr. J. W. Gidley, of the National Museum, and Mr. F. M. Williams, of Winamac, Indiana, in 1915, saw some mastodon bones which had been found here. No details have been reported.

49. Indian Creek Township, Pulaski County.—From Dr. E. S. Riggs, of Field Museum of Natural History, it has been learned that in June 1914, about half of the skeleton of a mastodon was found on the farm of Mr. William Battie, 5 miles west of Oak, Pulaski County. This would be in township 29 north, range 2 west. The skeleton was encountered by ditchers at a depth of 3 feet, in black loam. It was not secured for the Field Museum of Natural History.

35. Royal Center, Cass County.—Mr. Gidley and Mr. Williams, as mentioned under No. 34, saw also some mastodon remains which were from about 2 miles west of Royal Center.

48. Fulton, Fulton County.—The American Museum of Natural History, New York, contains several mastodon bones secured by Mr. Barnum Brown in 1915, but which had been found by Mr. Arthur Fry, in July 1913. These remains were met with in excavating for abutments for a bridge and had been thrown out of a drainage ditch. The bones were disassociated and scattered over a considerable area. They were all in black muck overlying compact quicksand and about 4 feet below the black loam surface soil. From Mr. Fry it is learned that the locality is 2 miles southeast of Fulton. This is in township 29 north, range 2 east, and quite certainly in section 36. Mr. Fry wrote that in digging up these bones logs were found that had been gnawed by beavers.

Dr. W. D. Matthew informs the writer that on cleaning up the materials there proved to be present at least four individuals. One was represented by a very complete skull with portions of the tusks. There was another skull; also two lower jaws which appeared not to belong to either of the skulls. From the shortness and the diameter of the tusks it is believed that all the individuals were females. Besides the skulls there were many bones belonging to the trunk and the limbs.