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CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



and flows northwestward in a tortnous course, emptying into 

 the Ohio river at Wellsburg. In its passage through the county 

 this stream has a fall of about 200 feet and presents every nat- 

 ural feature favorable to the development of its great water 

 power. Cross creek in the central part and Harmon creek in 

 the northern part of the county are two important tributaries 

 of the Ohio river. 



Early Settlement and Timber Conditions. 



Brooke, like all the other counties of the Ohio valley, was 

 originally well timbered with many kinds of hardwoods, and 

 like many of them, also, was early settled by farmers who de- 

 stroyed the bulk of the best timber in their clearings. Settle- 

 ment began at Charlestown (now Wellsburg) as early as 1772. 

 Since that time almost every acre of tillable land has been de- 

 voted to the growing of some agricultural crop. 



The Lumber Industry. 



The excellent water power easily obtainable on the larger 

 creeks encouraged the building at an early date of a number of 

 combination grist and sash saw mills. These primitive mills 

 ground the grain of the early settlers and sawed a considerable 

 quantity of choice lumber for domestic use. They have long 

 since ceased to run but many of the names of the owners are 

 still remembered by the oldest living inhabitants of the county. 

 The names and locations of several of the mills are here given : 

 William Briggs' mill was located on Buffalo creek one mile above 

 its mouth at Wellsburg; Casner's mill, on Buffalo creek, two 

 miles above Wellsburg; Richard Waugh's mill, on Buffalo 

 creek, where Waugh's dam is now located; (James and David 

 Waugh replaced the old mill at this place, about 1866, with a 

 new sash mill which they subsequently changed to a '^muley 

 mill") Bowman's mill, located on Buffalo creek, five miles 

 above its mouth; and Campbell's mill, on Buffalo creek at Beth- 

 any. This mill was owned by Bishop Campbell, the founder of 

 Bethany College. Besides the mills named above, there were 

 Sander's mill, Clark's mill, and Fowler's mill, on Cross creek. 



