WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



137 



doubtless, these waters as yet but little used, will appeal as 

 strongly to the commercial mind as they have in the past to the 

 esthetic. 



The Original Forests. 



The topography of Fayette is such as to promote the growth 

 of valuable forests. Originally the low and fertile lan(!s of the 

 Gauley and of that portion of the Great Kanav/ha within the 

 county, were characterized by the abundance of yellow poplar, 

 black and white walnut, white and red oaks, sweet buckeye, bass- 

 wood, cucumber and white ash, as well as the less valuable svreet 

 gum, sycamore, river birch, honey locust, and others. On the 

 clays of the higher areas such species as maples, white oak and 

 beech predominated, with fringes of hemlock along the water 

 courses and with scattered clumps of pitch pine and scrub pine 

 growing on dry ridges and along the sandstone outcrops. 



The Lumber Industry. 



Some of the best yellow poplar, black Avalnut and other tim- 

 ber growing along the Great Kanawha and the Gauley rivers 

 was cut and rafted out about 50 years ago. The New river is too 

 rapid for even the successful drifting of single logs and, as there 

 was no other means of transportation then, the bulk of the tim- 

 ber in the interior remained until a later date. A large number 

 of staves were cut in a wasteful manner on Laurel creek about 

 35 years ago and several small steam and water mills were in 

 operation before that time. Two sash saw mills, at least, existed 

 in the county as early as 1835. Timber cutting on a largo scale 

 for commercial use did not begin until about 1885. The industry 

 has continued without interruption and at an increasing rate 

 until the present day. The g'reater part of the timber so far 

 taken has been sawed by portable stave and lumber mills located 

 throughout the county. These have delivered their lumber over 

 branch railroads, wooden tram roads and, by means of wagons, 

 over country roads, to the various stations along the Chesapeake 

 and Ohio railroad and, more recently, to Belva, Gauley Bridge 

 and other stations on the Gauley branch. 



Large requisitions have been made upon the timber by the 



