CHAPTER XVIII. 



SALINE COUNTY. 



Saline county is bounded on the north by Hamilton county, on the 

 east by Gallatin, on the south by Pope, and on the west by Williamson. 



In shape it is a parallelogram and embraces about eleven townships; 

 therefore it has an area of about three hundred and ninety-six square 

 miles. 



Its topography is marked by the Gold Hill axis, which, beyond the 

 boundary of Gallatin county forms a conspicuous elevation in the south- 

 eastern part of this county, where it is known as " Prospect Hill." The 

 hight of this hill, as determined by barometrical measurement, is five 

 hundred and ninety feet above the low water of the Saline river. 

 Though the Gold Hill axis disappears beneath the lowlands to the west 

 of this hill, it is again seen as a conspicuous ridge of massive conglom- 

 erate sandstone in the south-western corner of the county, near the vil- 

 lage of Stone Fort. 



Viewed from the summit of Prospect Hill, the northern, middle and 

 western part of this county appears to be perfectly level, but it is never- 

 theless much broken by hills and ridges, that range in elevation from 

 ten to eighty feet above the high water mark of the streams. However, 

 a large portion of the county is level, and much of the land may be 

 termed "wet," with here and there a not inconsiderable swamp. Har- 

 risburg, the county town, is situated nearly iu the geographical center 

 of the county, and is built on a hill fifty to sixty feet high, formerly 

 known as "Crusoe's Island, 1 ' from the fact that it is entirely surrounded 

 by bottom land which is subject to inundation during periods of great 

 freshets. The approaches to the- town are consequently made by levees. 

 Notwithstanding the apparently unfavorable situation, Harrisburg is a 

 thriving town, and is looked upon as one of the healthiest localities in 

 Southern Illinois. The Vincennes and Cairo railway runs through this 

 place, and makes it a point of considerable commercial importance. 

 The principal water-course is the Saline river, which, with its tributa- 

 ries, the South Fork and Little Saline, drain the southern, while the 

 other two main tributaries, the North Fork and Middle Fork, drain the 



