204 THE IRON ORE DISTRICT OF EAST TEXAS. 



CHAPTER VI. 



SMITH COUNTY. 



BY J. H. HERNDON. 



PRELIMINARY STATEMENT. 



Dr. R. A. F. Penrose, Jr., in his report on the iron ores of Eastern Texas, 

 has devoted much research and time to studying their origin, modes of deposi- 

 tion, general character, and relations to each other and to the underlying and 

 overlying formations, and lias necessarily given the general geology of the 

 Tertiary and later formations. His field of operations embraced the whole of 

 Eastern Texas, including Smith County. This being the case, I have re- 

 stricted my efforts to the thorough mapping out of the iron ores, clays, lig- 

 nites, building stone, etc., paying especial attention to their economic features, 

 leaving the general geology as properly belonging to him. It gives me much 

 pleasure, however, to be able, after thoroughly investigating the same field, 

 to add my endorsement and approval of his theories in regard to the origin 

 of the iron ores of Eastern Texas. 



GEOGRAPHY AND TOPOGRAPHY. 



Smith County is in Eastern Texas, Tyler, its county seat, being in latitude 

 thirty-two degrees twenty minutes north, and longitude ninety five degrees 

 ten minutes west. On the north it is bounded by Wood and Upshur counties, 

 the Sabine River forming the boundary line; on the east side by Gregg and 

 Rusk counties, on the south by Cherokee, and on the west by Henderson and 

 Van Zandt counties, tne Neches River being the boundary line for a great 

 part of the distance. It has an area of nine hundred and fifty-seven square 

 miles, and is well watered by numerous springs and streams and possesses a 

 very elaborate drainage system. Village, Duck, Saline, Harris, and Mann's 

 creeks drain the northern portion of the county and empty into the Sabine 

 River. The Neches River drains the western portion, while Mud Creek, or 

 the Angelina River as it is known further down, drains the southern and 

 southwestern portion of the county. 



The general surface of the country presents the usual characteristics of the 

 iron ore regions of the Gulf Tertiary of Texas. It consists of a series of hills 

 and plateaus, with narrow undulating valleys, the whole surface being cut by 

 numerous streams and deep ravines. These divides are for the most part 

 generally narrow, but occasionally broaden into wide and extremely level 



