WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



169 



Table Rock rises to 1,756 feet; and Johnson knob, in the south- 

 em end, reaches an elevation of 2,200 feet above the sea. 



The Great Kanawha river flows in a northwest direction 

 through the county for about 50 miles, passing a little south of 

 the center. This is the principal stream and, with its tribu- 

 taries, drains the entire area. The larger rivers and creeks 

 which flow in from the north are Pocatalico river. Elk river, 

 Campbell creek and Kelly creek. Those from the south are 

 Coal river, Davis creek. Cabin creek and Paint creek. There 

 are many others of smaller size, tributaries of the Kanawha and 

 of the other rivers named above. 



Original Timber Conditions. 



Nearly all traces of the original forests have disappeared 

 from the rich bottoms of the Great Kanawha and only here and 

 there in the more remote sections can virgin conditions be found. 

 For this reason, an examination of the area at the present day 

 fails to reveal the nature of the original growth in the sections 

 where the timber grew in greatest luxuriance. 



Fortunately, writers have left a few paragraphs which men- 

 tion incidentally some of the prevalent timbers of the Kanawha 

 valley. In his "History of Kanawha County" Hon. Geo. W. 

 Atkinson says : 



"The Kanawha Valley was at one time literally covered 

 and packed with the largest growths of nearly every variety of 

 timber common to this latitude. Beech may be especially men- 

 tioned, which grew in great abundance in the low, flat portions 

 of the entire valley. The heavy beech masts never failed to at- 

 tract wild turkeys, pigeons, and bears, in numberless flocks and 

 companies, every fall. 



"The wide, level bottom on which Charleston now stands, 

 was studded formerly with beech timber, and the pioneer hunt- 

 ers would come here every fall, from all the neighboring settle- 

 ments, to kill their winter's bear meat. The bears would get 

 so fat and lazy from eating beech mast, that they would hardly 

 move out of the way of the hunter. 



During the summer of 1872 W. E. D. Scott visited the 

 home of the late eminent naturalist William H. Edwards at 



