8 



WEST VIRGINIA AS A TIMBER PRODUCING STATE, 



high table-land from which rise the Cumberland mountains. 

 In all places in West Virginia it is deeply dissected and its 

 resemblance to a plateau can be recognized only by obtaining a 

 broad view from some elevated ground. The portion of the 

 state lying east of the Alleghany Front descends more rapidly 

 with the Potomac basin to the valley of the Shenandoah. On 

 both sides of the Alleghany crest — particularly on the east 

 side — there is a succession of parallel mountain ridges which 

 lessen in elevation tow^ard the east and west. We have, then, 

 the plateau region sloping down more or less gradually from 

 the top of the mountains to the Ohio river, and the more abrupt 

 slope descending by broken parallel mountains to the lowlands 

 of the eastern panhandle. This general view has given some 

 authors authority to speak of the topographic features of the 

 state as simple. The claim of other authors that it is complex 

 will be generally accepted by those who have visited most sec- 

 tions of the state. 



A clearer idea of the surface configuration can be ob- 

 tained by dividing the state into three sections which may be 

 called (1) the Ohio river section, (2) the mountain section, 

 and (3) the Potomac section. 



The Ohio river section embraces about 30 of the hilly 

 counties lying along and back from the Ohio river. It ranges 

 in elevation from 500 feet at the mouth of Big Sandy river to 

 1,500 feet, or more, on top of some of the high hills which lie 

 nearest the mountains. The 1,000-foot contour line crosses the 

 Dry Fork of Big Sandy river at the mouth of Crane creek, and 

 the Tug Fork at the mouth of Dry Branch in McDowell county ; 

 it crosses the Great Kanawha near Sewell station in Fayette 

 county, the Gauley at Wood's Ferry, and the Elk at the Brax- 

 ton-Webster line. The bed of the Little Kanawha river is below 

 1,000 feet up to the mouth of Glady creek in the southern end 

 of Lewis county. From this point the course of the 1,000-foot 

 line is irregular up to the Preston county corner of Pennsyl- 

 vania, whence it crosses Greene and Washington counties and 

 re-enters the state 225 feet above the Monongahela river level 

 in Monongalia county. It crosses the Cheat river at the 

 mouth of Sandy creek in Preston county, the Tygarts Valley 



