CHAPTEE XI. 



FAYETTE COUNTY. 



This county is bounded on the north by Montgomery and Shelby, on 

 the east by EflBnghain and Clay,.on the south by Marion and Clinton, - 

 and on the west by Bond and Montgomery. It embraces an area of 720 

 square miles. It is intersected by the Kaskaskia river from the north- 

 east to the southwest, nearly equally dividing it. Dismal creek flows 

 south-eastwardly through T. 5 N., E. 4 E. All the other streams are 

 tributaries of the Kaskaskia river, including East Fork, Flat, Carson, 

 Richland, Hickory, (three forks,) Sand, Camp, Linn, Sugar, Rock, Big, 

 Moccasin, Wolf and Waller's creeks on the east, with Hurricane, Buck, 

 Bear, Buckmaster, Ramsey, Asher's, Beck's and Mitchel's creeks on the 

 west. 



Topography and Timber. — In passing from the streams to higher land 

 we generally ascend by white oak slopes to post oak flats, thence to flat 

 prairies, around which there is generally a margin of pin oak and some- 

 times blackjack and post oak. Between the various streams there are 

 flats and mounds, the latter rising from fifty to seventy-five feet above 

 the flats. There is a low mound in T. 4 N., R. 1 W., another in T. 7 N., 

 R. 1 E. The mound just west of Vandalia is about ninety feet above 

 the plains Occasionally they occur along the prairie between Hurri- 

 cane creek and Kaskaskia river, and there is one large mound north-west 

 of Bowling Green. East of Beck's creek the rise is gentle from the 

 post oak flats to the white oak mounds about sixty feet above. On the 

 post oak flats and flat prairie we often find swampy places and some- 

 times ponds. In the north part of T. 5 N., R. 1 W., there is a remarka- 

 ble chain of ponds several miles long trending east and west, and 

 mostly connected. Their margins are marshy, with a growth of Cepha- 

 lanthus occidentals or button bush, pin oak, rose, maple iris and rushes. 

 Some are said to contain fish. Northwardly towards Vandalia there 

 are several other ponds. Township 5 N., R. 4 E., is generally very gently 

 undulating. Dismal creek riaes from very gentle depressions in the flat 

 prairies ; no bluffs appear for several miles, but near the Chicago rail- 

 road they are sixty to seventy feet high and rise by long gentle slopes. 



