Kiser Lake Wetlands State Nature Preserve
History
History
-------

The Mosquito Creek Valley was originally formed by [glaciers](/wiki/Glacier "Glacier"). The rolling wooded hills and [moraines](/wiki/Moraine "Moraine") in the region formed where the glacier stopped, creating a ridge along the ice front. One moraine known as the [Farmersville moraine](/wiki/Farmersville_moraine "Farmersville moraine") surrounds the valley on three sides. There are mounds of sand and gravel deposits, called [kame](/wiki/Kame "Kame"), from water melting along the glaciers' edge along the southeastern end of what is now [Kiser Lake](/wiki/Kiser_Lake_%28Ohio%29 "Kiser Lake (Ohio)"). The Kiser Lake Wetlands were formed when blocks of ice broke away from the glacier and became covered by the kame. As the climate warmed, the ice melted and left depressions in the land filled with the kame deposits which became [fen](/wiki/Fen "Fen") and [wet meadow](/wiki/Wet_meadow "Wet meadow") habitats. Another [geologic](/wiki/Geology "Geology") feature found here are larger boulders pushed or carried down from Canada, called '[glacial erratics](/wiki/Glacial_erratic "Glacial erratic")'.*[Kiser Lake State Park \- History](http://parks.ohiodnr.gov/kiserlake#history)*, [Ohio Department of Natural Resources](/wiki/Ohio_Department_of_Natural_Resources "Ohio Department of Natural Resources"), 2020\. The wetlands, and Mosquito Creek itself, are fed by natural springs found along the edge of the moraine, as well as rainwater runoff and the natural bowl shape of the area. This drainage and water flows in a generally northwestern direction towards the [Great Miami River](/wiki/Great_Miami_River "Great Miami River") near [Sidney](/wiki/Sidney%2C_Ohio "Sidney, Ohio") in [Shelby County](/wiki/Shelby_County%2C_Ohio "Shelby County, Ohio"). The eastern side of the moraine drains easterly towards the [Mad River](/wiki/Mad_River_%28Ohio%29 "Mad River (Ohio)").Ramey, Ralph, *[50 Hikes in Ohio (4th Edition)](https://books.google.com/books?id=5js1CgAAQBAJ)*, The Countryman Press, April 18, 2016, Pg. 132\.

Although a known hunting area for the native people, the area was nothing more than a low swampy bog until a [dam](/wiki/Dam "Dam") was built across Mosquito Creek in 1840 to power a [mill](/wiki/Watermill "Watermill"). After the mill was abandoned, the remaining lake (then known as Mosquito Lake) fell into disrepair. In 1932, the land (by then known as Mosquito Lake Bog or Swamp) was donated by John W. Kiser to the state to rebuild the original lake for recreational purposes. In 1939 construction started on a new dam, and the  Kiser Lake was born. When [Kiser Lake State Park](/wiki/Kiser_Lake_State_Park "Kiser Lake State Park") was established for recreational purposes, the ODNR (at the time called the Division of Conservation and Natural Resources) reserved part of the land as a State Nature Preserve.*[Kiser Lake \- History](http://wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/kiserlake#tabr2)*, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, 2012\.


What is the purpose of the Farmersville moraine?