WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



119 



Present Forest Conditions. 



Braxton county still has a few areas of virgin forest. These 

 are located principally between the Elk river and the Gilmer 

 and Calhoun lines several miles west of Sutton. Their com- 

 bined area is about 9,670 acres. The 24,000 acres of cut-over 

 forest land is located on both sides of the Elk and Holly rivers 

 near the Webster line, on Strange creek and Birch river in the 

 southern end, and about 5,000 acres adjoining the virgin areas 

 above referred to. 



The remainder of the county is divided up into small farms 

 most of which contain only sufficient timber for ordinary do- 

 mestic purposes. 



BROOKE COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 



Brooke County, situated in the Northern Panhandle, was 

 formed in 1797 from part of Ohio coimty. Its area is 97 

 square miles or 62,080 acres. 



Topography. 



The hills of the northern and central sections of the county 

 are low and are comparatively well rounded and smooth. Long 

 ridges lie between the numerous small streams which flow 

 northward and southward into the larger creeks tributaries of 

 the Ohio river. The hills of the southern half of the county, 

 particularly those facing the Ohio river and those along Buf- 

 falo creek and its tributaries, are too steep in many places to 

 admit of successful cultivation. The elevation ranges from 657 

 feet at the Ohio river to 1,377 feet at a point near the southern 

 line. 



The county fronts on the Ohio river which flows along its 

 western border for a distance of not less than 16 miles. The 

 largest creek in the county is Buffalo creek which enters near 

 the southeastern comer from Washington county, Pennsylvania, 



