126 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



Brothers and Huffman and of D. M. Miller. In 1893, according 

 to George AV. Summers, author of "The Mountain State", most 

 of the poplar had been cut for a distance of 2 miles back from 

 the principal streams and the oak for a distance of 1 mile back. 

 This author further states that fully one half of the county was. 

 at that time, covered with original forest. 



The time of the ,coming of the first water mills, of which 

 there were several, cannot be definitely fixed. The first steam 

 mill in the county was owned by Louis Sliafer and began opera- 

 tion in 1866. Since then many portable mills — as many as 50 

 at some times — have sawed in various parts of the county. Lum- 

 ber from these mills has been used locally or loaded in barges 

 and towed doAvn the river by the use of gasoline boats. Large 

 numbers of cross-ties have been sawed on portable mills and 

 rafted down to Owensport, at the terminus of the Little Kanaw- 

 ha Railroad, and to Parkersburg. In recent years Withers and 

 A^andevender have cut staves and lumber in considerable quan- 

 tities. Local mills have sawed m.ost of the good hickory into 

 two-inch stock for the Ohio YaUey Bending Company at Park- 

 ersburg. No band mills have operated at any time within the 

 county. 



The Present Lumber Industry. 



Nearly all the remaining timber in reach from the river has 

 recently been purchased by the Parkersburg Mill Company and 

 the Little Kanawha Log and Tie Company. Both of these Com- 

 panies are engaged in rafting out logs. The number of small 

 saw mills in operation now is about fifteen. Most of these have 

 a small capacity and do not run regularly. 



Present Forest Conditions. 



All the virgin timber now remaining in the county is a 

 boundary of 5,980 acres lying in the southeastern section, being 

 part of an 18,000 acre tract which extends into Gilmer and 

 Braxton counties. The timber on this area consists of the species 

 mentioned under the head of ''Original Forests" and is of most 

 excellent quality. The cut-over forest land is confined to 2 



