I have traveled Ridge Road in Highland hundreds of times. I have visited relatives that live on Ridge Road numerous times. Before researching the information for my blog, I wasn't aware that this particular area was a part of glacial history.
Ridge Road in Highland is part of the Calumet Shoreline. This ridge runs east and west. The Calumet Shoreline is an ancient shoreline of Lake Michigan located in the Lake Michigan Basin. It is a sand ridge along Ridge Road south of Chicago. The shoreline is named after the Calumet Region of Northern Indiana. (Schoon, pg. 33)
When it developed, it didn't form a mainland beach but developed into an offshore peninsula or spit. The elevation of the ground is higher than the ground north or south of it. North of this ridge was Lake Michigan. At the south was the North Creek Lagoon, which is now the Cady Marsh Ditch (from Glen Park to Highland), Schoon Ditch (in Munster) and North Creek (in Lansing). (Schoon, pg. 33)
The Calumet Phase lasted approximately 600 years. It ended close to 11,200 years ago when the glacier retreated past the Straits of Mackinac for the last time. The lake level then went down about 28 feet to an elevation of 592 feet above sea level. This was when the Calumet Phase ended. (Schoon, pg. 34)
It is also interesting to know that the Calumet and Glenwood beaches were used as a way for Native Americans and stage coaches to travel. The routes were considered to be high, flat and dry. This is how Highland got it's name. It was originally a stage coach depot named Highlands, later shortened to Highland. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calumet_Shoreline ) As you travel down Ridge Road, you can see remnants of the ancient sand hill where there are many homes and Oak trees. There are also places along the ridge that are flat. This is due to the fact that over the years, sand mining has taken place. Sand is a valuable building material. It is used in making cement.
When I visit my mother-in-law's house now, I will consider the history behind the land that it sits upon. It is an ancient sand dune and I find that to be enlightening.
References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calumet_Shoreline
Kenneth J. Schoon, Calumet Beginnings
My mother-in-law's house in Highland on Ridge Road.
The ancient sand dune is undisturbed here. Many old Oak trees
are growing in the sand.
Photograph Taken By: Carol Haynes
This is how Ridge Road looks today. It is also called
U.S. Highway 6.
Photograph Taken By: Carol Haynes
No comments:
Post a Comment