WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



127 



small areas on Leading creek having a combined area of 1,500 

 acres. The rest of the county must be classed as farm land. 

 The farmers' woodlots, of which there are about 80,000 acres, 

 have a stand of 2,000 feet, or more, of such timbers as hickory, 

 beech, maples, oaks and others. 



CLAY COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 



Clay county came into existence in 1856, being formed in 

 that year from parts of Braxton and Nicholas counties. It oc- 

 cupies a central position in the State and has an area of 348 

 square miles or 222,720 acres. 



Topography. 



The western half of the county has an average elevation of 

 a little more than 1,000 feet, the stream beds lying from lOO 

 feet to 250 feet below the 1,000 foot contour line and the hills 

 rising to a height of 1,500 feet in many places. Eastward from 

 the Elk river, which, at its lowest point in the county is 637 

 feet, the land rises gradually until it reaches an average eleva- 

 tion of a little less than 1,500 feet along the Nicholas county 

 line. Pilot Knob, in the western part of the county, has an ele- 

 vation of 1,650 feet and the highest land, 1,850 feet, is found 

 near the head of Rockcamp Branch of Buffalo creek in the 

 northeastern corner of the county. This is a county of hills 

 lying, as it does, some distance to the west of that portion of the 

 State to which the term mountains can properly be applied. 



The Elk river, with Porters creek, Little and Big Sycamore 

 creeks, Leatherwood creek and Buffalo creek, its principal tribu- 

 taries from the east, and with Otter creek^ its principal tribu- 

 tary from the west, drains all the county except an area of 

 about 8 square miles lying along the northwestern boundary 

 line. This irregular strip is drained by Walker and Stinson 

 creeks of Little Kanawha river. Elk river winds in a south- 



