CHAPTER XVIII. 



HENDERSON COUNTY. 



Henderson county is situated on the western border of the State, and em- 

 braces a little less than eleven townships, or about three hundred and eighty 

 square miles. It is bounded on the north by Mercer county, on the east by 

 Warren county, on the south by McDonough and Hancock counties, and on the 

 west by the Mississippi river. The surface is much broken by the numerous 

 streams passing through it. The principal one of these is the Henderson river, 

 which enters the county near its northeast corner, and, passing in a southeast- 

 erly direction, empties into the Mississippi about six miles below Oquawka. 

 Tributary to the Henderson, and in the northern part of the county, are Fall, 

 and North and South Smith creeks. South Henderson creek enters the county 

 on its eastern border, through the southern part of township 10 north, and run- 

 ning a little to the north of west, empties into the Henderson about a mile 

 north of Sagetown. South of this the county is intersected from east to west 

 by Ellison creek, which empties into the Mississippi about two miles north of 

 Shokokon. In the southern part of the county there are Honey and Dugout 

 creeks. 



The prairies of this county are mostly small, and occupy less than half its 

 entire area. The soil of the prairie is a deep, black loam, with a brown clay 

 subsoil. On the ridges, which skirt the streams, the soil is of less depth, and 

 of a lighter color than that of the prairie. It is usually a dark brown, loamy 

 clay, becoming lighter brown on the slopes of the hills, and partaking more of the 

 character of the subsoil. Formerly these ridges were, for the most part, tim- 

 bered, but much of the timber has been cut off, and the process of denudation 

 still goes on. The timber on these ridges is principally the common varieties 

 of oak and hickory, with an undergrowth of ha/el and sumac. Along the 

 slopes of the hills, and on the bottom lands of the streams, we find in addition 

 to these, red and white elm, white, blue and prickly ash, linden, sycamore, 

 sugar and white maple, ash-leaved maple or box-elder, black walnut, butternut, 

 buckeye, cotton wood, honey locust, American aspen, wild cherry, coffee tree, 



