THE BLOUNT MOUNTAIN COAL FIELD. 



SECTION I. 

 INTRODUCTORY. 



The region lying between Murphree's Valley and Bristow's 

 Cove on its N. W. side, and Cahaba, Coosa and Wills Val- 

 leys on its S. E. side is locally known by the name of Blount 

 Mount< i in. It has long borne this name, rather to designate 



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than to describe it. A part of it only can properly be con- 

 sidered a mountain, and only a part of it lies within the 

 present, or the former confines of Blount county. 



As the county boundaries now stand, the larger portion 

 of it is in Blount, the balance in St. Clair and Etowah 

 counties. The portions of it that may properly be classed 

 as mountain, are its northwestern rim adjoining Murphree's 

 Valley, and locally known as Straight Mountain and its south- 

 eastern side which is still more elevated, and makes the top 

 of the watershed between the Coosa and the Warrior drain- 

 age. This is the part that is properly called "Blunt Moun- 

 tain.'" This is a very prominent elevation, extending the 

 whole length of this coal field, and with more or less prom- 

 inence extending north-eastwards to the Tennessee River. 

 Its height in the region under consideration is generally 

 from 1300 to 1500 feet above sea level. 



. This coal area has been partially described in former 

 publications, on "The Warrior C)d Fields" and on "The 

 Plateau Region of Alabama." But these descriptions were 

 necessarily brief and imperfect, a superficial reconnoisance 

 only. They however showed this field to be one of import- 

 ance at least of sufficient importance to require more crit- 

 ical study and examination. The results of that study and 

 examination are set forth as concisely as the subject would 

 admit in the following pages. 



