GC1A668 The Muskingham River (Earthcache) in Ohio, United States created by mr. bloodhound

GC1A668 ▼

A cache by mr. bloodhound Message this owner

Hidden : 3/14/2008

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Geocache Description:

The Muskingum River The above listed coordinates should lead you to an Ohio Historical Society marker located next to the Philo Locks on the Muskingum River.

Thirty-thousand years ago, the streams and rivers in this area were quite different. A ridge extended across what is today the Muskingum-Morgan County line about seven miles south of the Philo Lock. When the Wisconsin Glacier moved into the area 25,000 years ago, the glacier blocked the streams. A large lake formed in Muskingum County. Eventually the water spilled over the ridge carving the Muskingum River Valley. When the glaciers retreated, the drainage divide moved north to an east-west line 30 to 50 miles south of Lake Erie.

A glacier is a mass of flowing ice that forms when temperatures are cold enough for snow to accumulate without melting during the summer. The rate of accumulation is thus greater than the rate of melting. As the thickness of the ice increases, the glacier eventually begins to move down a valley if in a mountainous region, or flow outward if in a continental region. Mountain glaciers form and survive at high elevations where cold conditions prevail. Continental glaciers form when global climate cools sufficiently for ice to accumulate in high northern or southern latitudes and flow into temperate latitudes. Glaciers act as giant bulldozers, scraping and plucking rock and sediment as they move. When the glacier melts, these materials are left behind.

About 70,000 years ago, after a long, warm interglaciation following the Illinoian glaciation, ice once again began to build in northern Canada and slowly advance southward. This was the beginning of the last major glaciation in Ohio. By about 24,000 years ago the Wisconsinan glacier reached Ohio and by about 18,000 years ago the ice had reached its maximum southward extent, covering nearly two-thirds of the state. As the climate once again warmed, the Wisconsinan glacier began to melt and retreated northward, finally leaving Ohio about 14,000 years ago. Much of the landscape in the glaciated portion of Ohio is the result of the Wisconsinan glacier. Thick deposits of till, deposited as ground moraine, sand and gravel outwash from the melting glacier along larger stream courses, lobate ridges or hills of till are recessional moraines, marking a pause of the retreating ice, and other features prominent in Ohio record the presence of this massive ice sheet only a few thousand years ago.
The word Muskingum derives from a similarly sounding Delaware (Native American) word, which some claim to translate as 'Eye of the Elk.'

The Muskingum River has been an important pathway for both trade and communication throughout much of Ohio's history. The original founders of Marietta chose to build their community where the Muskingum River met the Ohio River. Throughout the history of the Northwest Territory and the early years of Ohio statehood, the Muskingum River was not navigated easily. In the spring, the river would flood and fast currents would make travel treacherous. During the summer months, the opposite was true. Many times the water levels declined to the point that river travel became impossible. Residents of southeastern Ohio were looking for a way to utilize the river, and they thought that they had an opportunity when the Ohio legislature began discussion of a canal system for the state. These people were disappointed when the Ohio and Erie Canal bypassed the Muskingum River. After lobbying the state legislature, they were able to convince politicians that improvements on the Muskingum River would lead to improved traffic from the Ohio River into the state. The new project was known as the Muskingum River Improvement. Construction began in 1836 and was completed in 1841. Improvements consisted of a system of eleven locks and dams that made the Muskingum River navigable from Marietta to a short feeder canal just south of Dresden, Ohio, that connected to the Ohio and Erie Canal. Residents of southeastern Ohio were pleased as the river system now encouraged economic opportunity in the region. The Muskingum River had hand-operated locks that were designed so that a boat could pass through each lock in about fifteen minutes.

Source: www.ohiohistorycentral.org/

In order to successfully log a find for this earthcache you must fulfill the following requirements;
1) Download a picture of yourself and your GPS that clearly shows a portion of the Philo Locks as well as the Muskingham River in the background.
2) Email me the answer to the following question. Which direction did streams and rivers flow in this area thirty-thousand years ago?
3) Email me the answer to the following question. Which direction does the Muskingham River flow today?
4) Email me the answer to the following question. Where did the Wisconsin Glacier come from?

Developed by a Platinum Earthcache Master
*****This cache qualifies for tlfought's Ohio State Parks Challenge http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=a66f6532-695f-4ecf-84c5-68198b301812

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The Muskingham River EarthCache

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