WEST VIRGINIA' GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



203 



MINGO COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 



Mingo, the newest coiinty of West Virginia, was formed 

 from the southern end of Logan in 1895. Its position is along 

 the southern border between McDowell on the southeast, and 

 Wayne on the northwest. Area, 424 square miles or 271,360 

 acres. 



Topography. 



The lowest portion of the county is found along the Tug 

 Fork of Big Sandy river which forms the southern boundary 

 line for 60 miles. The elevation of the river is about 800 feet 

 where it crosses the McDowell line and 575 feet at the southwest 

 corner of the county. The northern, or northeastern, boundary 

 line follows the Guyandot-Tug Fork watershed at an average 

 elevation of a little less than 2,000 feet. From this long divid- 

 ing ridge the land surface, broken by rough and irregular 

 hills, slopes southwestward to the low land of Tug Fork, and, 

 in the eastern end, to the Guyandot river. The highest point 

 of land, 2,500 feet, is located near the head of Horsepen Fork, 

 a tributary of the Guyandot. 



All of Mingo county, except a part of Stafford district, in 

 the eastern end, and a part of Harvey district in the north- 

 western end, lies on the southward slope of the Tug Fork drain- 

 age basin. The Guyandot river forms the eastern line for a 

 distance of about 3 miles and then turns northward through 

 fthe county in such a course as to leave about 10,000 acres on 

 its eastern side. This river's principal tributaries here are 

 Horsepen Fork, Brown's Fork and Leatherwood creek. The 

 chief tributaries of the Tug Fork within, or partly within, the 

 county are Jennie creek. Marrowbone creek. Pigeon creek and 

 Mate creek. The Right and Left Forks of Twelvepole creek 

 drain an area of considerable extent in the northwest. 



