Washington County 761 



TOPOGRAPHY AND NATURAL CHARACTERISTICS 



The surface consists of ridges extending northeast and south- 

 west, and the valleys between. The declivities of the southern 

 group of ranges are usually steep and, except where broken by 

 ledges, are arable to their summits. They gradually rise toward 

 the east, reaching the culminating point near the eastern border 

 of the county. The highest summits axe 1,000 to 1,200 feet 

 above tide. 



The ridges are composed of slate rock, ledges of which crop 

 out along their whole extent. In Granville and Hebron many of 

 these ledges are quarried, and furnish stone much valued for roof- 

 ing, building and ornamental purposes. The soil consists chiefly 

 of disintegrated slate and is very fertile. Although these elevated 

 lands are best adapted to pasture, they produce good crops of oats, 

 rye and hay. The valleys between them are fertile and easily 

 tilled, and are well adapted to a variety of crops. 



The highlands in the northern part of the county belong to 

 the Palmertown Mountain range, and their rocks- consist of 

 gneiss, granite, sandstone, and impure limestone. This range is 

 not so well adapted to crop growing as is the central part of the 

 county. The highest peak in the county is Black Mountain 

 (2,665 feet) in the town of Dresden. The northern towns of the 

 county separate Lakes Champlain and George. 



The Hudson River forms the southern half of the western 

 border of the county. A rich intervale from one-half to one mile 

 in width, bordered by a series of clay bluffs twenty to sixty feet 

 high, extends along its course. Most of the streams of the county 

 are tributaries of the Hudson. Wood Creek, a deep, sluggish 

 stream, flows into Lake Champlain, draining a valley, the soil of 

 which is mostly a hard, stiff clay. There are several other streams 

 in the county, including Batten Kill, Black Creek, and Poultney 

 River. Among the hills in the interior are several small lakes, 

 the principal of which is Cossayuna Lake, in Argvle. 



DESCRIPTION BY TOWNSHIPS 

 Argyle : The surface is rolling in the north and west ; broken 

 and hilly in the south and east. In the northern part Tamarack 

 Swamp covers several hundred acres. Cossayuna Lake is a beau- 

 tiful sheet of water three mile3 long, lying in a narrow valley in 



