348 COUNTY AND REGIONAL GEOLOGY. 



only in its valleys which are mostly small ones ; it is all 

 excellent, and almost every acre is til] able. 



11. PAGE COUNTY. 



Boundaries and Area. Page county is one of the southern 

 tier, and second eastward from the Missouri river, lying 

 between Fremont and Taylor counties and immediately 

 south of Montgomery. It contains sixteen congressional 

 townships, but, one half of them not being quite of full size, its 

 area is estimated at about five hundred and thirty square miles, 

 or three hundred and thirty -nine thousand two hundred acres. 



Drainage and Surface Characters. The county is drained 

 by the East and West Nodaway s, the East, Middle, and 

 West Tarkeos, and the East Nishnabotany. These streams 

 run through the county in a direction a little west of south, 

 and drain it very completely. Much the greater part of the 

 surface is prairie, but the valleys present much pleasing 

 diversity, particularly those of the larger streams. Indeed, 

 the whole valley of the Nodaway, from the northern to the 

 southern boundary of the county is very beautiful, and that 

 of the East Nishnabotany scarcely less so. Narrow belts of 

 woodland border the main Tarkeo, and also the west branch 

 of the same river in the southern part of the county, but 

 the other portions and branches of the Tarkeo within Page 

 county are prairie streams. A somewhat larger proportion 

 is found upon the borders of that portion of the East Nish- 

 nabotany that crosses the northwest corner of the county, and 

 also in the valleys of the Nodaways in its northeastern 

 portion. From the middle of the county southward, the 

 valleys of these last named streams contain the largest 

 bodies of woodland to be found within its limits, so that 

 the southeast quarter of the county is well supplied with 

 fuel. The remaining portions, or all outside of the larger 

 valleys is prairie which has a gently undulating surface. 

 The general character of the valleys of Page county, is that 

 of the usual drift valleys, although the Bluff Deposit occupies 

 a large part of its western half. 



