ANDERSON COUNTY. 303 



CHAPTER XII. 



ANDERSON COUNTY. 



E. T. DUMBLE. 



GEOGRAPHY AND TOPOGRAPHY. 



Anderson County comprises the country lying between the Trinity and 

 Neches rivers, bounded by Henderson County on the north and Houston 

 County on the south, an area of one thousand and eighty -eight square miles. 



Of the two rivers the Trinity is the larger, and its drainage system cuts 

 more deeply into the former plateau than that of the Neches, although the 

 tributaries of the latter stream stretch fully half way across the county in 

 places. This causes the drainage divide to lie near the centre of the county, 

 which it crosses in an almost north and south direction ; but the general eleva- 

 tion of the eastern half is somewhat greater (probably fifty to one hundred 

 feet) than that of the west. The county for the most part is generally rolling, 

 but when the ridges of iron-capped hills are reached they take on all the ap- 

 pearance of mountains, although in fact seldom over one hundred feet in 

 height above the surrounding level. This variety of contour is largely due 

 to the combined erosion of the two rivers and their drainage systems, which 

 has sculptured a topography of diversified character from the ancient table 

 land that formerly occupied this region in common with much the greater 

 part of Eastern Texas and portions of Arkansas and Louisiana. Of this 

 table land a few remnants still remain, forming a rude semicircle of iron- 

 capped hills, which has for its diameter the Neches River. Here, as elsewhere 

 in this region, it is only the highest points on which the iron ore deposits are 

 found, and to its protection their present eminence is due. To the south of 

 Palestine the country becomes lower and the hills more scattering. 



To the east this plateau breaks into small hills, extending to the Neches 

 River; and on the west it gradually disappears in the same way in the water- 

 shed of the Trinity. This iron region thus forms the divide between the 

 Neches and Trinity, just as in Cherokee County the Selman range forms the 

 divide between the waters of the Angelina and the Neches. In this range, 

 as in Cherokee, springs give rise to many creeks, which flow down the steep 

 slopes of the plateau, come together in the lowlands, and finally discharge into 

 the muddy waters of the main rivers. 



From the divide a number of streams flow through the county, either 

 southeasterly to the Neches or southwesterly into the Trinity. Among the 

 principal tributaries of the Neches are Caddo, Brushy, Walnut, Hurricane, 



