WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



159 



pine, and table mountain pine, and in many places an excellent 

 stand of young locusts, oaks, chestnuts, ashes, poplars and 

 others. 



Perhaps not more than 25 per cent of the whole county is 

 cleared for cultivation and grazing purposes. Moorefield dis- 

 trict, including the best of the South Branch valley, is the most 

 improved section; and South Fork district, embracing much of 

 the mountain woodland on the southeast, is the roughest and 

 least improved. 



HARRISON COUNTY. 



Location and Ar^a. 



Harrison county, formed in 1784 from part of Monongalia, 

 lies in the north-central part of the State. Its area is 416.18 

 square miles or 266,355.2 acres. 



Topograph 7- 



The hills of most sections of the county are comparatively 

 low and smooth. There are valleys of considerable extent along 

 the West Fork river from Clarksburg to the Barbour line and 

 along Simpson creek, Elk creek and Tenmile creek. 



West Fork river, the principal stream of the county, flows 

 northward, passing a little east of the center. Its larger tribu- 

 taries from the east are Shinns run, Simpson creek, Elk creek. 

 Browns creek, Lost creek, Duck creek and Hackers creek. Those 

 flowing in from the west are Bingamon creek, Jones creek, Ten- 

 mile creek, Lambert run, Coburn creek. Sycamore creek, Buf- 

 falo creek, Isaacs creek and Two Lick creek. The whole area 

 is drained by the streams named above, with their tributaries, 

 except that Booths creek and Coons run, tributaries also of the 

 West Fork, drain a small area in the northeast. 



Original Timber Conditions. 



It is difficult now to find any more than a trace of the 

 original forests. The quality of timber in small isolated areas, 

 however, together with the unusual fertility of the soil and other 



