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CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



The drainage is principally through Mill creek, Sandy- 

 creek, Little Sandy creek, and through numerous smaller 

 streams and the tributaries of Pond creek to the Ohio river, 

 which forms the irregular western boundary of the county for 

 about 30 miles. An area of considerable extent in the south is 

 drained by the Middle and Left forks of the Pocatalico river. 



Original Timber Conditions. 



Jackson county once had an immense amount of fine white 

 oak, yellow pine, yellow poplar, chestnut, black walnut, red 

 oak, black oak, chestnut oak, beech and hickory, with smaller 

 amounts of white elm, sugar maple, red maple, basswood, white 

 ash, sycamore, white walnut, hemlock, white pine, black gum 

 and others usually found with them. Yellow pine grew on sandy 

 hills and south exposures in nearly all parts of the county but 

 more abundantly toward the northeast. 



The Lumber Industry. 



By the year 1830 there was a store and blacksmith shop at 

 Eipley, the present county seat, and several settlements had 

 been made along the Ohio river and at other places inland. It 

 is hardly necessary to mention that here, as elsewhere, some of 

 the best timber was destroyed by the early settlers who needed 

 the use of the land more than they needed the timber. The small 

 amount of lumber used in the construction of rude dwellings and 

 outbuildings was sawed by hand or on upright or sash saw mills 

 run by water power. As early as 1835 there were 5 combination 

 grist and sash saw mills on Mill creek and probably others on 

 Sandy creek. These sawed for domestic use and some lumber 

 from them was rafted to the Ohio river and there sold to dealers. 



Extensive floating has been carried on along Llill creek, 

 Sandy creek and Pocatalico river. Logs floated by private own- 

 ers and by companies were caught in booms at the mouths of 

 the 3 streams named above. Here they were rafted and taken 

 to Cincinnati and other cities along the Ohio. Cole and Crane 

 of Cincinnati were the principal rafters and took out an enor- 

 mous quantity of poplar, oak and yellow pine from about 1880 



