130 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



for cultivation, the woodland is largely owned by the farmers. 

 The most improved lands of the county are on Porters creek, 

 Right Fork of Big Sycamore, and on the heads of O'Brien, Big 

 Sandy and Big Otter creeks. 



The Early Lumber Industry. 



For the past 75 years, or more, the Elk river, which fur- 

 nishes excellent rafting facilities, has carried many millions of 

 feet of logs, lumber, cross-ties and staves from its adjacent for- 

 est lands in Clay, Braxton and Webster counties. Active raft- 

 ing in Clay county did not begin, however, until about the close 

 of the Civil War. The Charleston, Clendennin and Sutton Rail- 

 road (now Coal and Coke Railroad) reached the town of Clay 

 in December, 1895, and was extended to Ivydale, 12 miles above, 

 in 1900. During the 30 years which preceded the coming of the 

 railroad the best timber had been stripped from all the land in 

 the county fronting on the Elk river and the large creeks. In 

 fact, the poplar had been cut for as many as 10 or 12 miles up 

 the larger creeks and drifted out. All of the available walnut, 

 also, went out from 1880 to 1885. The men who were in the 

 rafting business, especially during the early years of that in- 

 dustry, took only the best of the most valuable species. This 

 left considerable good timber on the easily accessible areas to 

 be taken, with the large quantities on the more remote virgin 

 lands, by the saw mills which became numerous after the build- 

 ing of the railroad. Before that time the few small circular 

 mills which had found their way into the county and a water- 

 power mill located at Serena on Big Sycamore creek, manu- 

 factured lumber in considerable quantities. The largest amounts 

 cut during this period were by Samuel Stephenson, 1885-1895, 

 who operated on Big and Little Sycamore creeks and elsewhere ; 

 the Chaney Lumber Company, 1890-1895, which cut over 10,000 

 acres on the head of Blue creek ; John T. Moore, 1890-1898, who 

 sawed at Clay Court House, on Camp creek. Big Laurel creek 

 and at other points. 



